Young Justice Revolution
by anonymous1845
Summary: In the aftermath of the Reach Invasion, the Team and the Justice League must readjust to a changing world. Fan made Season 3. This is a group compilation. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Trust

**This is a group effort. I am responsible for writing every other episode, another writer does the ones in between. We have a story boarding lead plot creator and artists who create visuals for the episodes.**

* * *

Metropolis

August 4

2:18 PM EST

"This is Cat Grant reporting for GBS News from Metropolis where the city is under attack from the super villain known as Parasite." Cat turned away from the camera gesturing to the scene behind her. A red car was lying on its top, smoke pouring from the under carriage. Water was leaking onto the street from a broke fire hydrant, fallen street lights criss-crossing the roads and sidewalks. "With Superman nowhere in sight, he seems to be unstoppable, sapping the powers and energy of everyone who gets close enough." As the camera zoomed in on the field of drained officers Cat stepped back out of the frame. "Are you getting all of this Jimmy?" She whispered in a demanding tone.

"Yes." Jimmy groaned from behind the camera. "I don't know why Lois said I would do this. My job is pictures not film."

"No one else will get this close to the action with me." Cat said excitedly. Jimmy rolled his eyes, but of course she didn't see. He focused on what he was seeing through the camera. A massive wave of water moved seemingly of its own accord across the scene; as the cascade moved, Aqualad came into view. He had been sending the torrent of water at Parasite, but he had already moved to the side, throwing a punch into the Atlantean's stomach, simultaneously draining the last of his energy and sending him flying across the battle field. He collided with the now empty fountain, cracking the head off the statue at its center before falling to the ground.

"Where is Superman? These kids are getting themselves killed out there."

The view was clouded for a few moments as a handful of smoke pellets exploded. When the smoke cleared Parasite was laughing, holding Robin by his throat. He struggled wildly until Parasite had sapped the strength from his body.

"Let's get closer." Cat said pulling on his arm.

"No! We'll get killed!"

"We need audio!" Cat dragged him forward insistently.

"You're as bad as Lois!"

"Shut up and film Jimmy!"

Jimmy sighed and looked back through the camera. The scene unfolding before them was getting worse by the moment. All around them Metropolis Police officers littered the ground. They could do little more than lie there blinking with the occasional weak grown passing their lips; Parasite had sapped the strength from nearly the entire department. With their combined power he had managed to overturn cars, crack the corners of buildings and sidewalks, and leave a path of destruction behind him as he moved through the city.

"We really shouldn't be here." Jimmy said quietly, still looking through the camera.

"Shh! You'll ruin the film!"

"Robin!" Wonder Girl yelled and leaped forward catching the barely conscious boy before he hit the ground. She knelt on the patch of grass that passed for a park in the city and laid him down gently; Aqualad was lying nearby, the Atlantean already trying unsuccessfully to get back to his feet. She looked back up at Parasite, her light blue eyes narrowed in a scowl at him. He just looked back at her with a knowing smile.

"It appears even you heroes are slaves to your teenage whims." He said with a dark laugh walking down the front of the car he stood on. The hood bent under his weight, steam from the ruined engine billowing out from the cracks in the metal.

Wonder Girl let out an enraged battle cry and flew at Parasite with both fists out, aiming for his head. She jerked to a stop as he wrapped a hand around each of her wrists. Her braclets protected her from being drained, but even as she struggled, she knew he was already too strong for her to manage. Letting go of one wrist and holding her away from him, Parasite placed a hand on her cheek.

"Agh!" Wonder Girl screamed feeling her energy sapping away. "Let go!"

"Wonder Woman could have put up a better fight. I'm rather tired of the League sending their sidekicks to do their job. I have no business with children."

"Stop calling us children!" Superboy's angry yell was punctuated by a quick powerful punch that landed squarely on Parasite's jaw. Parasite blinked at him, a smirk unfolding across his mouth.

"Still delicious." He released Wondergril and she crumpled to the ground. She tried to stand, but just fell back to her hands and knees. She lifted her head just enough to see Superboy sending a stream of continuous punches into Parasite that would have crumbled anyone else; despite his effort each time he made contact, he only succeeded in feeding more of his power into the villain. "Kryptonian is still my favorite, even if it is just half." Parasite said in a mocking voice. He caught each of the next two punches in his hands now holding Superboy captive as he drained away the rest of his strength; slowly he forced the clone to his knees.

"No…" Wonder Girl leaned against the fallen statue next to her, using it to support her weight as she tried to stand again.

Parasite's voracious laughter echoed around the ruined street until it was caught off abruptly, drowned out by the sound of raging wind. Wonder Girl forced her gaze up once more and caught sight of a blue blur whipping past. Where Superboy had been kneeling just moments before, only empty sidewalk remained. Parasite was locked in position, his head thrown back with laughter, arms outstretched to the now absent Superboy; he was frozen solid, a windswept block of ice surrounding him.

"What in the name of Hera-" Wonder Girl gasped and Superboy suddenly appeared next to her, a pair of bright red boots standing out against the grass next to him. "Superman?" But superman's feet weren't that small. She looked up, straight into the face of a girl.

"I've got a plan, but I need your help." Her voice was gentle, but commanding. All Wonder Girl could do was blink. The girl standing over her was dressed in a bright blue skirt that was almost too short, a cropped top baring her midrift, and a long red cape whipped in the breeze behind her. She was the spitting image of a female Superman, complete with the S emblazed on her chest. Her hands were on her hips, red fingerless gloves tight over her fists. "I need you to trust me."

Wonder Girl just blinked again, dumfounded. A thunderous cracking cut off her thoughts; she jerked her head to the side to see the frozen Parasite breaking free of his icy bonds. The other girl flew up and out straight at the villain, shoving him back into a building using what was left of the ice as a shield.

"You can trust her. Just help her." Superboy said rolling over to his stomach. He pressed his hands into the ground trying to sit up. "Her name is Kara."

"Who-" Wonder Girl started to ask, but Superboy cut her off with a surprisingly angry glare.

"Just help her!" He growled. Wonder Girl gulped and nodded, pulling herself to a stand and somewhat shaky legs.

Kara was hovering over Parasite as he got to his feet shaking chucks of ice from his body. Her face broke into a wide smile. "Thank you!" She called out.

"What is this? Another Kryptonian? My lucky day." Parasite laughed, his own smile more of an evil grin that was suddenly hidden by shocking red material. Kara had her arms clasped around the villain, her cape protecting her from his draining powers. If the situation hadn't been so dire, the crimson covered villain's attempts at freeing himself would have been almost comical; the way he was now draped in Kara's cape made him look like a red ghost.

"Tie him up!" She shouted. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she focused on her grip. Parasite was straining against the girl. "Hurry!"

"That's the plan!?" Wonder Girl exclaimed as she took the lasso from her belt. Unable to muster the energy to fly, she half ran half stumbled over to the pair. She slipped the looped rope over Parasite and ran around him, pulling it as tight as she could. "I think I've got him."

Ever so slowly, Kara relaxed her grip. Parasite was making unintelligible noises of rage, slightly muffled by the cape. She floated back to the ground, landing lightly. "So…now what?" She asked quietly.

"You go back to the Watchtower." Superboy had managed to stumble over to them. "You need to get out of here before someone sees you Kara."

"But-" Once again Superboy's look was silencing. Kara just nodded and took to the air again, flying away into the clouds without glancing back. A thought struck Wonder Girl's mind as she flew away.

"Somehow the flying thing looks weird without the cape on." Superboy just glared at her again.

"Did you get all of that, Jimmy?" Cat asked peaking over a hedge in the park. Her suit was covered in dust and debris. Jimmy had dirt smeared from head to toe. All he could do was nod as he followed the mysterious girl with the camera.

Watchtower, Earth's Orbit

August 4

3:45 PM EST

"This is what I've been talking about all along! The Justice League is no better than the Reach!" The red haired man raised his arms dramatically with each exclamation. He gestured to the screen behind him. A blond girl was flying away from a scene of destruction. "This proves it! Aliens are running rampant. With that symbol it's more than obvious the girl belongs to Superman. The last thing Earth needs is another alien. The Justice League think they can pull the curtains on the world, but not on G. Gordon Godfrey!

Finally we have someone with sense in the United Nations. Lex Luthor! With our planet narrowly escaping annihilation at the hands of aliens, Luthor is moving for the UN to enact The Earth Reclamation Registration Act." Godfrey stopped his pacing and placed his fists on his hips, his stance reading as confident and powerful. "Otherwise known as TERRA. A fitting name for the bill now being ratified by the Alien Oversight Committee, if I do say so myself.

We're taking back our planet for the _humans_ that belong here!"

Batman pressed pause on the remote, freezing the ranting man on the screen. "The UN is pressing for it again." He commented, his voice as emotionless as usual. The rest of the league was gathered around the table. Black Canary was nodding from her seat next to him.

"I don't understand how they can do this. After everything the league has done for them. Especially J'onn and-" Her words were cut off by Superman storming through the door with Kara close behind him.

"I couldn't just sit there and watch! I had to help!" Kara had her arms crossed over her chest, a determined frown on her face.

"I told you to stay at the fortress until I knew it was safe for you to be out in public. Now look what's happened!" His responding shout was one more of fear than anger.

"You can't tell me what to do! I'm older than you Kal!" Kara retorted. "Last time I saw you, you couldn't even sit up."

"Not anymore Kara-"

"Hey!" Black Canary had stood up and was glaring at the two. "We've got bigger problems now. Kara's appearance has driven the UN to instate their alien registration act. That means everyone and everything, even members of the League and the Team. Which includes the two of you."

Kara and Superman glared at each other for another moment before relaxing simultaneously. "You should have told them about me." Kara grumbled.

"We'll talk about it later." Superman said regaining his composure. "Go wait at the zeta tubes for the others." His tone said there would be no arguing. Kara let out an exasperated sigh and left the room grumbling to herself.

"I think the Team is going to get tired of these secrets." Batman said with a slight growl to his voice.

"You're one to talk." Green Arrow didn't miss the glare at his comment, but he ignored it any way, a small smile on his face.

_Aqualad B02_

_ Robin B20_

_ Superboy B04_

_ Wonder Girl B21_

Kara looked up towards the zeta tubes excitedly. "You're back!" She stopped her nervous pacing and turned towards them so fast she lifted off the ground and hovered a few feet above them. "How did it go? Everything okay? How's Tim?"

Conner sighed heavily at her rapid fire questions. "Not now Kara." He grabbed her ankle pulling her back to the ground glancing over his shoulder as Cassie walked in behind him half supporting Tim. Kaldur was walking easily enough without support now.

"I think now is the perfect time." He commented looking from Conner to Kara. "It appears that this girl is only a mystery to the rest of us, as I assume the League is aware of her presence."

Conner just nodded in response. Kara's mouth fell open. "You didn't tell them about me?" She asked sadly.

"We had good reasons." Conner said looking away.

"Good reasons or not, we know now. I would like to know the whole story." Kaldur said turning to Kara. He just gestured for her to begin and she blinked rapidly at him.

"There's not much to tell really." She began hesitantly. "I crashed in Smallville, Kansas three weeks ago. I guess my ship was looking for Kal's. It took some damage so it took me longer to get here."

"Can I lie down now?" Robin suddenly asked from where he was drooping next to Cassie. "Dick was right about Parasite; I feel like falling down and never getting up."

Kara frowned, disheartened by the statement. All the stories she'd heard about Batman's protégées had led her to believe they were nearly as invulnerable as she was. Despite that, Cassie was smiling and tightened her grip on him. As the two walked away, Kaldur cleared his throat.

"There is much more to the story, I am sure."

Conner groaned exasperated now. "She's been up at the Fortress. Superman has been training her so she won't accidently kill anyone with her powers."

"That's not fair! I've only had them a few weeks!" Kara exclaimed. "I think I'm doing pretty well. So does Kal!"

Conner just growled again and walked away with heavy steps, leaving her alone with Kaldur. She sighed and looked down at her red boots not expecting to feel the weight of a hand on her shoulder.

"He will come around. Conner is always like this when he meets someone new. Family is no exception." Kaldur said offering a smile.

Kara smiled back. "Thanks."

"Unless Superman has already given you a tour of the Watchtower, you are welcome to join me. The others should be checking in now." He turned and started to walk down one of the tower's many hallways. After a moment's hesitation, Kara was following close behind him.

"So…" Kara looked around, her blue eyes widening at the view from the windows. Stars were even more dazzling up close. Aqualad caught her expression from the corner of his eye.

"The Watchtower is daunting to most people who see it." He said with a slight nod. "You will learn your way around. Eventually."

Kara quickened her pace to walk next to him instead of behind him. "You're in charge?" She asked curiously.

"I have only recently been made the leader of the Team. About as long as you have been on this planet."

"Oh." She bit her lip and looked away. "Still wondering about that?"

"I cannot deny I am curious. You are from Krypton, and yet you look so young." His eyebrow was raised slightly as he looked at her.

"My ship took some damage when the planet exploded." She crossed her arms, wrapping them around herself. "It took me… a long time to get here. Time passes differently at those speeds. At the time, Ka-Superman was just a baby. And I was this."

"Here." Kaldur stopped and held out his arm gesturing to the room off the hall. "Ladies first."

Kara blinked at him then turned into the room. "Wow." A slivery blue glow covered the room.

Kaldur walked forward and pressed a few buttons on the console in the center of the room, bringing up a map of the world.

"What's this?" Kara asked blinking with amazement.

"It is our communication center. I can contact the other members of the Team from here." He cleared his throat. "Beta Squad, this is Watchtower, requesting a status update."

_"Watchtower this is beta. Mission objectives successful."_

"Well done beta." Kaldur pressed another button and the map whirled to another location. "Gamma Squad this is Watchtower requesting a status update."

_"What's up Watchtower! Gamma squad's all good."_

Kaldur rolled his eyes and turned the map.

"Where is this?" Kara asked moving closer.

"South America." Kaldur replied. "Alpha Squad is there."

Kara leaned back with a smile on her face. "This is so… cool."

"Welcome to the Team, Kara."

Amazon Rainforest

August 4

5:30 PM AMT

The jungle was surprisingly quiet, the numerous birds making few noises. One let out a shrill call to the others drawing their attention to the lizard climbing along the branch where they perched. As they turned to study the creature, sizing up the meal, it morphed into a small monkey, still the same brilliant shade of green. Startled, the birds took flight calling out warning to the other birds. The monkey let out a chattering laugh before pushing aside a clump of leaves to look beyond the branches before it. There, looking out of place among the greenery, were two dome-like structures and long strips of bare land. Men laden with guns of varying caliber patrolled along a chain link fence surrounding the area.

_I found it! _Beast Boy's enthusiastic thought echoed inside Miss Martian's mind.

_Good job, Gar. _She replied then reached out for the connection to the others. _Tigress, Blue, Batgirl. Beast Boy has eyes on the base._

_ Well it's about time! _Beetle's internal voice had a slight echo the others didn't. _It is not surprising that the Beast Boy has found the hangar, Jaime Reyes. He is most suited for this environment._

_ Rendezvous at Beast Boy's location._ Batgirl sounded as calm and cool as ever giving the order.

_Tigress? _M'Gann reached out again, concern edging her thought. The response was taking longer than it should have.

_I'm good. I'll be there._

_"Alpha?" _Kaldur's voice crackled out of the communicator on Batgirl's wrist. She paused as she moved along the fence, nearing their planned point of entry. Quietly, she lifted her wrist and pressing a button on the side.

"Alpha here." She whispered. Her eyes darted around watching the patrolling men as they moved by. Beast Boy had already flown over the fence; they'd barely spared a glance at the bird he had portrayed.

_"What progress have you made on the mission?"_

"We're moving in now." Batgirl replied. "Alpha out." With her last comment she flipped over the fence, landing on a passing guard; he crumpled to the ground, knocked out cold. A slight whistle of air called her attention as two more men fell. Tigress came running stealthly out of the undergrowth, tucking her dart gun back in her belt. Miss Maritain flew overhead quietly putting a fog of sleep over the rest of the men who slumped over on the spot.

_There's a lot of power coming out of there. _Blue thought, landing close to the nearest hangar. He sounded more nervous than usual, his eyes flicking around quickly as if expecting an attack.

_I'll check it out._ Miss Martian replied. She took a breath and ghosted through the metal wall.

After a few minutes Batgirl pressed her ear to the cool surface. _M'Gann?_

_You guys need to see this._ She thought quickly before projecting the scene in front of her into their minds.

"They pose an absolute threat!" The podium in front of the man received a brutal pound from his fist. "Earth belongs to humans, not these alien invaders. It's up to us to stop them. We have to defend ourselves." The crowd of people gathered around him roared their approval. Even the man holding the camera raised a fist in the air, almost dropping the machine.

"We will reclaim our planet! And we will not be stopped." With his final words he raised his arms in the air. Moments later the hangar doors flew open, ripping from their hinges. Scorch marks adorned he now flattened doors; smoke billowed out of the opening they left.

"That's funny," Batgirl's voice carried into the building. She walked through the smoke screen followed by the rest of the squad, "because we were about to do just that."

"Traitors!" The man who had been speaking knocked over the podium and ran to the side. The others gathered around him pulled out their weapons, a few of them open firing on the Team.

"Move!" Batgirl and Tigress both jumped to the side to avoid the bullets. M'Gann stopped the ones flying towards her and Beast Boy. Blue Beettle raised his arms and fired his cannons, knocking most of them to the ground.

_Secure them Jaime Reyes!_

_ Way ahead of you. _His arms had already morphed into his staple cannons, firing two at a time to pin them down.

Beast Boy transformed into an elephant and charged to one side, waving his trunk and striking anyone he could reach. Tigress pulled out her sword using it to knock aside their weapons and the blunt end for knocking them out. Batgirl threw a handful of smoke pellets into the fray leaving the goons left standing choking and gasping for air; it made it easy to land kicks and punches that left them lying limply on the ground. The team moved through the hangar, taking on each wave of opponents slowing moving towards the back.

The next man that came towards them was wielding a familiar looking spear. "Watch out!" Blue flew past blocking the strike intended for Gar who was now running around as a tiger. "They've got Reach weapons!"

M'Gann lifted into the air and raised her hands, her eyes glowing bright green. Several of the spears were jerked away from the men and exploded.

"How did they get those?" Tigress shouted to no one in particular. No one answered.

They moved farther into the hangar, some of the men getting lucky enough to land blows of their own before getting taken out. In a brief moment of stillness, Batgirl spotted a shape weaving among the stacks of crates that lined the walls.

"He's getting away!" Batgirl pointed at the leader who was making a break for the back door.

"I've got him!" Tigress took off after him, pulling a ball from her belt. She threw it and as it flew at the fleeing man it burst into two, a thin rope strung between them. It wrapped around his legs, forcing him to his knees. He crashed into a stack of crates. One shattered as it hit the ground, spilling its contents across the floor. Tigress halted staring at the red egg shaped items, her eyes wide. "You… you have those?!"

The man had rolled over and was frantically trying to untangle the rope. He started pulling himself backwards as Tigress advanced on him. The first punch landed on his jaw, laying him out flat. The next broke his nose, more power behind it as she knelt on his chest. "Do you know what those are? What they can do?" She demanded with each punch. "All they do is hurt people!"

"Tigress!" Batgirl stopped her with a hand wrapped around her wrist. Blood dripped from her fingerless glove. Tigress turned on her breathing hard and shaking. "It's okay." She grabbed her other hand before she could do anymore damage to the already unconscious man.

"No. No it's not." Tigress looked down at her hands. "Nothing is okay anymore."

"I think this is all of them." Miss Martian said lowering the rest of the bound men to the ground. They'd managed to gather all of them in the other hangar. It was still full of crates like the other, but made for a more open space.

"This'll show them not to mess with aliens." Beast Boy said with a smile and his hands on his hips.

"That's not what we're here for. We just have to get these weapons out of the wrong hands." Batgirl said tightening the knot in the ropes binding the leader's hands.

"But… they were going to use them on us." Gar said confused.

"This is a step in the right direction." Miss Martian replied. She floated to the ground next to him. "Hopefully it will help."

"Of course it will." Batgirl said with an optimistic smile. She straightened and looked at each of them. "We did good guys."

"Hey guys I think we've got company." Blue said looking towards the doors.

"Shh!" Beast Boy turned in a circle. "Do you guys hear that?"

"It's a-" Blue was cut off by the sound of whirring turbines. The doors of the hangar rattled for a moment before opening slowly in a gust of wind. Blinding light illuminated the team forcing them to look way as the helicopter hovered. Men dressed in black began to repel down, hitting the ground forcefully and entering the building.

"Attention heroes!" A voice was being amplified over the PA system of the helicopter. "Do not move! This premises is now under the jurisdiction of the AOC!"

"What's going on?!" Batgirl shouted over the noise. As the helicopter landed another flew passed. As more soldiers filed out, a man in an expensive looking gray suit stepped out of the helicopter. He strode towards the team, his walk carrying an air of authority, and pulled a badge from the inside pocket of his jacket. Batgirl narrowed her eyes at him. "I've never heard of the AOC."

"Of course not. I'm Agent Smith." He had a no nonsense voice. The badge disappeared inside his jacket once more. "I have authorization to take all of this alien technology into custody."

"What? On what grounds?" Batgirl demanded. "You have no right-"

"Vigilantes like you have less right than the United Nations." Smith retorted stopping Batgirl's protest. "This technology will be used to defend the Earth from further invasion."

"No!" Tigress exclaimed. "You can't!"

"The League is perfectly capable of doing that. More capable than whatever the AOC is." Batgirl snapped.

"Alien Oversight Committee." Miss Maritain said quietly. "They're registering all alien technology and… all aliens residing on Earth."

Smith glared at her. "And anyone in possession of it." He turned away from them to look at the soldiers that had entered the hangar. "Pack it all up!" On cue they began lifting the dispatched men from the ground and hauling them to the helicopters loading them in like cargo. With all of them inside they moved on to the crates. As one shouldered past carrying a box of what appeared to be Krolotean weapons, Blue Beetle put a hand out to stop him.

"You can't do this! You don't know how to handle these things." He exclaimed. "You'll just get yourselves killed!" The soldier shook him off, and turned to face him with a glare plastered on his face.

"Alien scum." He said under his breath, but loudly enough they could all hear. Blue's mouth fell open.

"Excuse me that is uncalled for!" Batgirl shouted fuming.

"We don't have a problem working with the League." Smith said addressing Batgirl and pulling out a cell phone. The rest of his men filed passed him and into the helicopters leaving the hangar empty. His eyes flicked up and over to Miss Martian, Blue Beetle, and Beast Boy. "Just them and the ones like them." Batgirl's face took on the glare her mentor was so famous for.

"The League is better equipped to deal with this than you are." She breathed.

Smith just smiled at her, tucking away the phone. "We'll be in touch." He turned away and jumped into the nearest helicopter which took to the air moments later. As they flew away the team clustered together in the now empty hangar.

"After everything we've done… they still haven't even begun to trust us again."

* * *

**Story by Darksuperboy**

**Written by me**


	2. Star

**Story by Darksuperboy**

**Written by TheHero-Guy (posted here by me with his permission)**

* * *

Earth  
August 5th  
8:16 AM (Eastern Time)  
United Nations building  
Main Summit Room - Meeting

Dawn broke across the horizon as new day as the sun's ray hit the clean, clear windows of the United Nations building, where armed guards stood firmly around it and the door behind which representatives of around the world were discussing matters of the possible life and death of the human race.

From the darkness, we slowly pan across to the right, revealing a large, dark red conference room, filled to the brim with senators from around the country, as well as the newly elected UN representative, Lex Luthor standing before his podium, and the audience. To his right is none other than Superman, representing the super-hero alliance known as the Justice League, also on a podium.

"Due to the serious invasion of the Reach, we had to realize the harsh reality. We are defenseless. But that does not mean we have to rely on others who are many times not even there. No, this time the earth will and must be better prepared in case this were to happen again. That is why I have commissioned the all-new, Alien Oversight Committee the duty to acquire as much extraterrestrial information and technology in order to be better capable of defending ourselves." He then paused, and looked over to Superman. "The only extraterrestrial information that was not received was from the Justice League. Now, we all know that this "superhero" organization is mostly consisted of extraterrestrial members. Why, Superman, have you, and the Justice League denied our request to obtain their information?"

Suddenly, all eyes were to the Man of Steel himself. His voice was honest, clear, and comforting as he began.

"I respectfully would like to remind the board that the Justice League has not received this type of request in quite some time. If the Justice League were to release this classified information, how would we have been able to defeat the Light, whose actions brought the attention of alien worlds unto Earth?"

Murmurs began to circulate the room, and were then silenced by Luthor's commanding voice.

"Superman, I would like to make it clear that we do not seek the personal details of each, and every member of the Justice League. What we request is information from those who are not of Earth origin, including what their strengths and weaknesses are, as well as their reasons for staying here."

His eyes then panned across the room with great confidence and assurance.

"This is the type of information that we lacked during the invasion of the Reach. The Earth and its population is defenseless. It is true that we have made mistakes, but that is why we learn from them in order to better ourselves. That, Superman, is what makes us human."

Superman could feel Luthor's cold glare, making it subtly clear that his presence was not helping the situation at hand.

"We recognize that, but that is why the UN has anointed the Justice League to help defend the Earth from any hostile extraterrestrials in the first place."

Luthor then retaliated, as if he was wanting for this argument. To be heard.

"I'd like to remind the board that the Justice League was not even present during the invasion of the Reach, which almost resulted in Earth's very destruction."

Superman then scanned the room, and could see that they were accepting Luthor's claims. Just as he was about to speak, he was then cut off by Luthor, who wanted to solidify his stance.

"Which brings into question the Justice League's activity. We know that the League has not stopped contacting extraterrestrial life outside of this planet, and traveling to other worlds while the state of our very defense is fragile form the last invasion!"

He then clicks a button on his podium, and a holographic representation of an alien object appeared. Superman's eyes then widened at the sight of it.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, is called a zeta tube. This is the method by which the League and others are able to travel to these extraterrestrial planets. But this is not the only method by which they travel..."

He then clicked again, revealing pictures of Hal Jordan in his superhero persona known as the Green Lantern.

"Other members of the League include the Green Lantern Corps, which are also able to travel outside of Earth. The zeta tubes and Green Lantern Corps have one thing in common: they are continuing to bring more attention to our planet while its defenses are down. If the "Lanterns" were truly loyal to their duty to defend the Earth, then they should stay to protect it, rather than run off during the Reach invasion!"

His boisterous and determined voice had won them over, as they stood up, and clapped in immense approval.

After they settled down, Luthor continued again, this time more relaxed and controlled.

"That is why I am requesting an immediate vote on banning the Justice League from sending any more zeta beams to other planets, as well as sending any member of the Green Lantern Corps to leave Earth until we are ready to defend it properly...without the help of the Justice League."

Once again, they stood up and clapped, this time much louder than the previous time.

Both Luthor and Superman are then excused from the main podium, as the main speaker reaches the podium to take over bringing the debate to close.

"The vote will be put to motion effective immediately, and must be seconded before a vote can be entered before the next meeting."

Superman then sees that the majority, if not everyone, has raised their hands. But, using his super hearing, he does manage to hear a few comments of disapproval. The speaker then continued.

"The motion which must be passed by the vote will be held within the next three days. Until that time, all zeta beam travel will be suspended. Hearing dismissed."

As the large conference room was beginning to get vacated by the leaving senators, who were mostly determined to vote for the idea proposed by Luthor. Luthor then begins to gather his files together, and as he mercilessly walked towards Superman, he whispered something only his super hearing could pick up.

"Looks like you've become unwanted here, Kryptonian..."

August 5th  
11:23 AM (Eastern Time)  
Watchtower  
Hall of Justice

Just a few hours after the United Nations meeting, members of the Justice League felt it was appropriate to hold a meeting inside the Watchtower, their orbital safe haven. Inside, the league and the other team higher ranked members assembled to discuss the upcoming vote in the UN.

Batman then decided to begin the meeting by breaking the uneven murmurs.

"Although the Light has been broken, the remaining members still seek out their ideal of survival of the fittest mentality, along with earth's forces now on their highest state of awareness in non war times since the Cold War. Another item on our agenda includes the whereabouts of Rhas Al Ghul, who has not been seen since the fall of the Light. Not only that, but every other country as well, has increased their defence and research budget by at least 15%."

He then looked to Aqualad and nodded. Aqualad then spoke.

"It is also important to note that the remaining Light members may seek to continue their plans even without the leadership of Black Manta and Ra's Al Ghul. Queen Bee has also been stripped from Balyia due to military build up around the area after the discovered kidnapping and rescue of the Quracs president's daughter, which lead to an alliance being formed by all other countries surrounding Balyia in order to prevent the same incident from ever happening to them."

He then paused, and spoke his mind.

"This can only mean that Vandal Savage must have already had a plan to take over the War world."

Batman agreed, then looked around the hall, and spoke.

"Not only this, but the Green Lantern Corps have had little success in tracking Savage's whereabouts since his threats of retaliation on all aliens worlds who wish to go near Earth have lead the entire galaxy to be uncooperative for fear of his wrath. The last known location of the War world was seen passing within the Vega star system, just outside of what the green lanterns report as the Psion empire."

As he was talking, he put a holographic diagram of Psion's sector, showing video feeds of little law enforcement.

"Ever since the Guardians of the Universe have been informed by one of their own, concerning the upcoming United Nations vote, they have perceived it as a request for help by Earth and ordered all lanterns of that sector to return home to assist in building better planetary relations with neighbouring systems."

Another holographic diagram showed up to the right of the previous one, indicating a large amount of Green Lanterns leaving the Earth's nearby sectors.

"Due to this vote, we cannot send any of the Lanterns as well as the UN's constant monitoring of the zeta beams."

Batman, paused and concluded.

"That is why the League has decided not to send any of the Green Lanterns, as well as using zeta beams with the UN's fragile trust in us."  
It was then that Martian Manhunter spoke.

"What if we were to send...an alternative team, just as we did with the Mars mission the previous year? The team did manage to successfully help Maraz Um defeat several dormant Reach drones."

He then put on display a holographic display of the Bioship.

"The Bioship has also been upgraded with hyperdrive technology in order to minimize travel between Earth and Mars. In case of an emergency, Miss Martian could take this alternative team to Rashashoon to investigate."

He then concluded.

" Since they are not green lanterns, locals maybe also be more...forthcoming with information."

Batman then took the floor.

"All of those who are in favor with sending a special ops team to Psion, say 'aye'."

Throughout the entire hall, a majority of 'ayes' were heard, leading Batman to conclude the meeting.

"It's decided then. A special ops team will be sent to Psion."

As the heroes we're leaving, Batman stopped Aqualad.

"Aqualad, I need to speak with you."

"Of course."

Batman paused, and spoke once more.

"Due to the way you handled the Light and the Reach in our absence, the League would like you to gather together the squad."

Aqualad then thinks carefully, makes a decision, and nods.

Batman then speaks again.

"Another request has come to our attention as well..."

August 5th  
8:37 PM (Eastern Time)  
Bludhaven  
Streets

As the moon was shining brilliantly over the busy city, a young couple was happily strolling, as the woman's arms were firmly around the man's arm. As they came closer and closer to a dark alley, however, their happiness would soon end. From the shadows, four men grabbed both of them, and dragged them into the alley, The woman tried desperately to scream, but was soon muffled by the hand of one of her attackers. The muggers then threw them to the ground, and spoke, each clutching some kind bat or crow bar.

"You ain't goin' anywhere!"

"Yeah! Just give us your wallets, and no one gets hurt!"

Right as the group of muggers were closing in on them, a black baton comes flying from above into the closest mugger's face, knocking him out cold. All the other muggers then look up to see a tall, lean figure with a blue symbol on his chest and white eyes. The mysterious figure then dove off the top of the rooftop from above, and then unhooks another baton in one swift motion. The figure then presses the baton while falling, causing a hook to be ejected outwards, helping him swing down and take out another mugger as he hits the ground firmly. The figure then looks up and sees a mugger run at him with a crow bar. He then grinned, and ran towards the nearest wall. jumped onto it, and leaped, causing his fist to connect with the mugger's face. After a front roll, he looked up to see the final mugger pull out a gun.

"It's over Nightwing."

Nightwing's eyes then focused on the remaining muggers, and charged towards the next closest one. His speed caught the mugger by surprise, but fired the gun nonetheless. Nightwing executed several flips and rolls, dodging every bullet that the clumsy mugger was sending, and finally kicked the gun from him his clenching fist. The mugger then threw a few blows at Nightwing, each of which he blocked with his forearms. He then smiled, and spoke.

"Not today."

Nightwing then knocked the mugger unconscious with a solid hand punch to the neck.

He then turned to the rest of the muggers, who were out cold. After he had handcuffed each one of them to a nearby lamp post, he walked over to the scared couple, and made sure they were okay. The woman was first to speak.

"Thank you Nightwing. We know we're safe as long as you're around."

He then revealed a small smile and replied.

"It's my job."

With that, he ran to the wall with the help of his regained batons and agility, taking to the rooftops once more.

As Nightwing jumped from rooftop to rooftop, he could feel the brisk wind whip around his body every time he leaped. He then saw that the next rooftop would require extra effort, and began to run. Nightwing prepared himself for the large hurdle, and jumped. As he was halfway there in mid-air, a doorway from out of nowhere appeared. He landed with his hands and feet firmly planted to what seemed like stable ground.

"What's up chum?"

Nightwing looked up to see that it was the voice of none other than Lagoon Boy, who was extending his hand out to him. It was then that Nightwing realized he was almost inside the Bioship. He accepted his help, and got inside as the Bioship (which had been camouflaged) took off into the starry night.

Just as Nightwing was about to talk, the main screen came to life with the image of Aqualad. He then turned to see M'gann, and she responded to Aqualad's call.

"All members of the Alpha squad are ready for duty, Aqualad."

It was then that she herself turned to Nightwing, who was wearing a slightly puzzled look.

Aqualad could see this, and began to answer his, and the others' questions concerning the team's objective.

"You will be traveling to a planet in the Vega system, known as Tamaran. We have provided the coordinates to the location you must arrive at. It will be a common bar, where Hal Jordan has provided us with a reliable source."

He then paused, and turned to Nightwing.

"Nightwing, I'd like to introduce Supergirl. She will be a valuable member of the team."

Nightwing then looked to the only girl sporting Superman's symbol, who then waved to him with a cheery smile.

"You must all remember that for the time being, relations are beyond fragile between the United Nations and the Justice League. Due to the uncertainties, they have prevented any other Green Lanterns from keeping law and order, meaning that you may run into...difficulties.

Aqualad then addressed something that had occurred to Nightwing.

"The reason for half the team's non-human appearance is to avoid agitating the locals of Psion. How would they be able to explain Supergirl's, or even Nightwing's appearance?"

He stopped for the final time, with a growing concerned look on his face.

"Take all necessary precautions. Aqualad out."

It was then that the video transmission was deactivated, and all eyes turned to Nightwing.

Nightwing then turned to Supergirl again, who began speaking what must have been various alien dialects. She then smirked at the confused La'gann, and spoke in English.

"Studied a few extraterrestrial languages for two years in Argo City."  
Nightwing smiled at the sight of this, and spoke in Kryptonian.

"Nice one."

Supergirl then smiled, and turned to face the vastness of space been displayed through the window chambers.

It was then that M'gann spoke up, while clutching the Bioship's controls.

"Preparing for Hyperdrive Jump."

Nightwing then took a seat, and braced himself.

The Bioship then extended its lower fins, while the engine ports ignited, causing the entire ship to jump into hyperdrive with more power than ever before. While the ship was in hyperdrive, M'gann was caught by surprise as she received a mind link from an unlikely passenger.

"Why did you guys drag me along? I was just fine in Bludhaven."

She then interrupted him with a long sigh.

"But I don't have to read your mind to know that you're lying. We're worried about you Dick..."

Nightwing then turned to face the dark space, wanting to end this conversation as soon as possible.

It was just then that M'gann replied.

"I miss him too Dick..."

Psion  
August 5th  
9:28PM  
Planetary Space Station

From the empty space, the Bioship then exited Hyperdrive, and descended towards any of the planet's open space lanes. Before the team, was the robust planet that was Psion, having a dark, and grimy appearance from the outside, and was worse once they entered the atmosphere. Smog and other pollutants heavily lurked in the air, leaving very sunlight to reach the sky-high buildings. The Bioship then received vector requests and identification from a robotic attendant. It was then that Miss Martian got to work, and used her Martian identification in order to prevent any Earth references. The robotic attendant then cleared them, and the Bioship went off to find a suitable docking station.

Once it did find a spot, the team exited from the ship. Suddenly, a rusted robot approached Miss Martian, and displayed a variety of lights. She immediately understood, and pushed one of the buttons underneath the lights, activating a dispenser unit to unfold. Miss Martian then pulled out a small red crystal, and placed it inside the unit. Once the unit was detected by the robot, it flashed more lights and a bell sounded, leaving to check for other docking stations.

The boys looked at her quizzically, while she just smiled.

"Parking meter."

It was then that the girls giggled at the boys in the team, and flew towards the elevators. The boys then had to share the elevator space with a hideous, green, gelatinous alien, while the girls took to the sky.

Psion  
August 5th  
9:45PM  
Streets

While the Alpha team was surveying their surroundings, they were intrigued by the life and culture they were observing. Nightwing, Miss Martian, Lagoon Boy, and Supergirl were all now sporting much stealthier clothes (especially Nightwing and Supergirl) in order to prevent any unwanted attention. As they were looking for the source, they had to repeatedly walk through crowded areas, and large aliens. Miss Martian then pulled out a small device, which displayed a holographic map of the source's location, with a flickering orb pointing towards the right.

"I think we're getting close..."

Just as she finished saying that, a large green alien with orange razor sharp claws came flying out the door from the right and crashed against the wall across the street. Its attacker soon stepped out of the bar, which was revealed to be a strong female with orange-tan skin, glowing green eyes, and hair like fire, shining in all her blazing glory and power. From head to toe, she was clad in dark, metallic armor, decorated with a few scratches and scuffs, meaning she could handle herself.

They were all in awe and shock as she walked towards the downed beast. But before she could grab him, two aliens jumped her from behind. The team was about to help her, when they saw an astonishing performance on the mysterious alien's behalf. She managed to have superhuman strength, because she had then decided to throw both of them high into the air. Just as they thought they had seen everything, the team was wrong.

The girl violently threw them away from her, wishing to end this. She flung them right on top of the large alien, and walked back towards the bar. But the thug creatures were not finished with her yet, as the large one pulled out a medium laser gun from his holster, and prepared to fire the trigger. Before she could turn back to see the large alien, a batarang quickly struck the weapon out of his claws, followed by two taser cables from Nightwing, thus shocking him. Once the large claw creature was down, the girl looked down at it, and kicked it in the side. Her glare then turned to fury, as she slowly walked towards Nightwing, who couldn't help but smile as this beautiful alien girl was making her way to him.

"Everything's okay now, we're just here to help..."

It was then that the girl finally reached him, and pulled him up by his neck with one arm, all the time yelling in another language. What came next shocked everyone on the team, as the girl brought Nightwing's lips to hers, locking them until she ferociously pulled back.

"You borlge fungus nerf eater!"

She then threw him aside into a pile of nearby garbage. Nightwing, in turn, looked up at her with a startled look, and saw her face him.

"I am NOT in need of you, or anyone's assistance!"

With that, she walked back into the bar, leaving Nightwing in complete confusion. Almost immediately after the fight, the rest of the crowd went about their business, as if nothing had happened. The rest of the team ran over to him, asking if he was alright while trying hard not to chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm alright. It's a good thing you guys didn't butt in, otherwise we may have brought more than the wanted attention."

Supergirl helped him to his feet, and noted something.

"Just be be grateful all she did was kiss you shes a Tamaranian, its strange to see one so far from their home planet."

The team then looked to Miss Martian, who spoke as she looked at the map once more..

"The tracking device was pointing directly at the bar from where she came from. So like it or not, I think our source is in there..."

The team then noticed the device blinking towards the bar she had just entered. They hesitantly made their way into the bar, and were met with blasting music, accompanied by a spectacle of lights. The bar was packed to the brim with various extraterrestrials, all in different forms and sizes, ranging from reptilian, to ones with several eyes and arms, or even tentacle. They were all from around the far reaches of the Vega system. From around the corner of his eye, Nightwing spotted a reptilian Psion sporting a metallic mask and goggles, heavily guarded by various large reptilian body guards sporting a similar, yet inferior attire. He also noticed the prominent Psion wearing the Psionese symbol engraved into his armor.

Nightwing then turned to Miss Martian.

"Do you think that's him."

She then looked down at her device, and nodded.

"Yeah. That's him alright."

The team slowly made their way through the crowded bar, until they had reached him. Miss Martian then tried to make a mental mind link with the leader, but to her surprise, was unable to do so. Supergirl was the next to recognize their race, and brightened up, knowing that she was fluent in Psionese. She then was, of course, first to speak, never losing eye contact with the leader.

"Excuse our intrusion, but we have matters of business to discuss with you."

The Psion faced her, and then turned to carefully inspect the other team members. He then nodded, said something in Psionese, and stood up, walking into a private room to the back. The team looked to face Supergirl, who was about to walk, yet still surrounded by his guards.

"He said to follow him."

The team understood, and followed him, who had decided to bring in at least one guard with him into the room. He sat down, and with a wave of his hand, ordered to have the door shut. The guard obeyed, and closed the door after everyone was in.

Once everyone was inside, he pulled out a, small grey box. He pressed a button to the side of the box, making it come to life with a holographic map of War world's route, which then came to a stop near Tamaran.

Just as Nightwing and the others were about to ask more questions concerning its precise location, the Psion leader then turned to face Supergirl, who had been the only to understand him, and spoke. She in turn, looked back to the team, and interpreted.

"He wants to know how much we are willing to give him in return for the exact location."

Suddenly, a variety of shouts and gunfire went off from outside the room, followed by a thunderous crash. Lagoon Boy was first to check what was happening outside the room, only to be thrown aside by the large alien with claws. The more that everyone looked at it, the more they realized it's atrocious yet deadly, especially the slash across its left eye. With its large claws, the brute then ripped the door from its place, searched through the room, and spotted his target: Nightwing.

Unfortunately, this had been the same creature that he had tased not too long ago. He then pointed furiously at him with one claw, and roared, rearing its ugly green head up. The team then jumped in front of Nightwing, ready to defend their friend. Just then, the Psion leader's guard slowly pushed them aside, looking directly at him with an intense glare. The alien roared once more, revealing large sets of teeth, and attacked the guard, only to see his blow being swiftly blocked.

The guard then grabbed his fist, and sent him flying through the wall, causing more chaos to ensue between the alien's friends, and the other guards. Right as Nightwing turned to face the Psion leader, he was gone. When he looked back, he found that the large alien managed to fight his way through the disarray, and loomed over him with an enraged look. Nightwing smirked, and pulled out his batons. Just as he did so, the alien threw a large piece of debris, knocking him against a wall. Just as he fell, the alien grabbed him by his foot, and sent him tumbling into the drinks bar.

The large creature then made his way out to him, shoving others with his claws, and saw that he was gone. But as he turned to search for him, Nightwing leaped onto his back and began to direct him outside. By now, the entire bar was in the fight, and no one remembered who started it. As the drinks and chairs went flying, back and forth, the team began to fight back. Lagoon Boy swelled up into his massive size, and was going blow for blow with the biggest alien inside. Miss Martian then psychically blocked tables and chairs thrown at her, while sending them back from where they came. Not far from her, a massive group of aliens piled on top of Supergirl in order to restrain her from attacking. To their surprise, Supergirl lifted all of them with her superhuman strength, and sent them flying in different directions.

Back to Nightwing and the perpetrator, who were still busy trying to fend off each other's attacks, when suddenly, the alien brought his fist to Nightwing's jaw, knocking him against several tables. Nightwing was getting worn down, but the alien did not stop there. He finally reached him, and grabbed both of Nightwing's arms with one fist, locking them together. The alien could sense that Nightwing was growing exhausted, and grinned. With ferocious speed and strength, the alien then threw him across the bar. Nightwing was down for the count.

The alien then stood over him, with his large shadow looming over him, and pulled out a gun. He then grinned, and said something in his native language, assuming that he was about to end Nightwing right then and there. Nightwing, dazed, looks up through his blurry vision to see that the alien was about to pull the trigger, and prepared himself. This was it. The moment that he put off every time he put the mask on. But this was not the day, as suddenly, the alien was knocked down before he could pull the trigger. Confused, Nightwing carefully got up, and regained his vision to see his savior. It was the girl that had kissed him not moments ago, and walked towards him. Nightwing braced himself, and to his surprise, she spoke.

"We are even now."

Before Nightwing could say anything, he immediately spotted another alien from behind her, and threw an explosive birdarang at him. He then looked at her with a grin.

"Now we're not."

As if the explosion had triggered something greater, the entire bar began to fall into a mad free-for-all. Fights broke out in all directions, causing some serious damage to the bar, while the team fought back through the waves of aliens to defend themselves. The girl was no back to back with Nightwing, each of them fending off attackers, dealing fast blows here and there. While punching an alien, Nightwing spoke.

"So, do you have a name?"

The girl then blasted another with the green bolts, and replied.

"Your primitive language does not possess an accurate reference for my name."

Nightwing then quickly retorted with a grin.

"You know, no language is primitive..."

The girl was then a little irritated by his flawless logic, and explained.

"Well, my race can learn any language via lip contact my home language is that of Tamaran, i only desired to learn your language to properly insult you."

Nightwing smiled, and replied.

"I bet you say that to all the guys you want to kiss..."

He then saw a slight smile escape her face. It was just then that groups of aliens decided to ambush them from both sides, in order to better contain them. Nightwing tried to evaluate various escape plans, and looked up, seeing that there was a large chunk of the large ceiling missing. He then turned to the girl, and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Hold on!"

Nightwing whipped out one of his batons, and pressed a button on the side, releasing a small grapple hook. The hook then propelled them upwards, escaping the violent attack, and seeing how they collided with painful force. As they were being pulled higher and higher away, a stray laser cuts the grapple hook's line, sending both of them plummeting down. As they were falling, Nightwing then pulls out his second, and last baton. In his mind, Nightwing knew they would have little chance of surviving the fall, but was willing to do it anyways. Just as he was about to push the button, he realized both had stopped falling. Nightwing looked down, and saw that they were still far from the ground, yet they were in mid-air. The girl then grabbed him by his waist, and spoke.

"I have the ability to...fly, as your people would call it."

Nightwing let out a grin, as he held onto her, trying to evade from the other attackers in the bar.

"That would've been a nice thing to know!"

For the first time, the girl revealed a full smile.

"You never mentioned it."

They were now flying into the heaviest part of the fight, and to the girl's surprise, Nightwing let go. While he was falling, he executed a perfect flip, while throwing a few smoke bombs at the same time. He landed firmly on his hands, and went into a flurry of acrobatic attacks. The girl immediately flew down to assist him. Nightwing saw this, and could see that the situation was growing more and more out of control, as other aliens decided to fight through the smoke.

"So what did you do to start all of this?" he asked, in a joking manner.

This completely threw her off, as she looked back at him.

"I believe it was YOU who started this fight."

Nightwing then grinned.

"You know what I mean. The ugly brute you introduced the street to."

The playful banter was keeping the situation from being too terrible, as both of them defended and fought for each other. The two were acting more and more as one. She then threw several plasma bolts at more unfriendly aliens, and answered Nightwing.

"The one you stunned is named Rachnor. He wished to employ me."

Nightwing then asked another question, followed by a round-house kick to an alien's torso.

"And what did he want you to do?"

He then saw another wave of creature, took her hand, and ran to the farthest side of the bar, where a flight of stairs were. Both ran up the stairs, and stopped at the top, knowing that they were alone.

He then noticed that she sighed deeply, and hugged herself with closed eyes.

"To become his harem. I did not accept, but he found that displeasing."

She then sunk to her knees, and held her face in her hands.

Nightwing then walked over to her, and stooped down as well.

"Why not go to your home? I bet you'll be safe there..."

The girl then replied with a sad tone.

"I cannot return home. I have no home."

To her surprise, Nightwing gently caressed her face, and lifted her chin.

"My name is Nightwing. What are the closest words to your name in my very primitive language?"

As he said this, he revealed a soft smile, making the girl feel secure. She then answered him, with a hint of hope in her voice.

"My name is Koriand'r. But in your primitive language it is translated to Star and fire."

Nightwing kept on smiling, and spoke.

"Star and fire, huh? How about...Starfire?"

Nightwing had added extra enthusiasm, in hopes of making it sound made the girl do something that Nightwing had never seen anyone one on this planet do: giggle. She nodded in approval.

"It is a beautiful name. Starfire."

Nightwing then took her hand, and stood up, bringing her as well. He had an idea, and it was definitely worth a try.

"Well, Starfire, if you come with me, you'll always be safe. I promise. Let me show you my friends."

They then made their way to the rest of the team, and pushed to get outside. But before they could leave, Lagoon Boy saw out of the corner of his eye the leader of the Psion guards, and found him hiding under a table. He quickly ran up behind him and snatched the box. The Psion then yelled angrily in his language, and threw his fist around in the air. By now, the fight was dying out, with a few aliens, here and there, still fighting. Once they were outside near an alley, Nightwing introduced Starfire to the team, who were more than hesitant to meet her, after only seeing what she did to him and the other thugs.

"Starfire, I'd like you to meet Supergirl, Miss Martian, and Lagoon Boy."

It was then that Miss Martian mind linked with Nightwing, asking him if he's sure about what he was going to say next. Nightwing assertively spoke in his mind.

"Positive."

He then turned to Starfire, and asked.

"Would you like to come with us? We can give you a home, and a family on our planet. We'd protect you. So what to do you think?"

She then looked to the rest of the team, who were at first shocked, but then changed their expressions, as Miss Martian mind linked with them, explaining everything Nightwing had just said to her. They nodded in approval. Starfire then answered him.

"Yes."

Supergirl couldn't contain her excitement, as she flew to her, and hugged her.

"Oh, you're gonna love it, Starfire! Pizza, and baseball, and rabbits, and..."

Just then, the Psion leader that provided them with the information leaped out of the bar, saw the team, and yelled something in Psionese to his guards. The team looked to Supergirl, who had let go of Starfire, and shrugged with a confused smile.

"Sorry, I don't think you want to know what the first part was. But he's angry that we didn't, well, pay him for the box."

Nightwing then grabbed Starfire's hand, and ran with the rest of the team towards the docking station.

"That's okay, I don't think he'll be worry about too bad! We need to get back to the ship as soon as possible, before someone else starts another fight here!"

The guards then charged at them, and although they were somewhat far away, they continued as the team got into the Bioship. Nightwing then took a seat, and Starfire chose the seat closest to him. Miss Martian ran to the controls, and placed both hands on the glowing blue orbs.

"Everyone in? I think we got all that we needed anyways..."

The Bioship then lifted off, while Miss Martian rotated the ship in the direction of space. She then pulled forward, bringing the ship to full throttle, and out of Rachnor's reaches. After they were safely gliding through space again, the team relaxed. They now had the exact location of the War world, and were determined to find it now more than ever. Starfire seemed to make several glances at Nightwing, while he was completely entranced by the beauty of tranquil space. The team knew what Starfire was doing, and chuckled to themselves, finding it difficult to ignore her. Supergirl then faced Starfire, and spoke.

"Starfire...that sounds really familiar. Are you Tamaranian? It sure sounds like the Earth translation of another Tamaranian name I've heard a lot about."

Starfire just smiled, and nodded. In the distance, an old memory resurfaced, one of his best friend, as he pictured him speaking in his bright voice.

"You dog!"

This made Nightwing smile, and then the memory faded. He then looked to Lagoon Boy and Miss Martian, all of them understanding who he was referring to. Each of them reflecting on the late hero, who sacrificed himself for the rest of the planet. A real hero.

Unknown , ?, Arctic Pole

From the horizon, a snow storm was brewing, ready to unleash its full force upon this barren landscape. The icy winds blasted the cold, dry ground. Blanketed by a thick layer of ice and snow, it seemed a wasteland, devoid of all human life. Not too far in this wasteland, a large wolf sniffed its nose, searching for any food. It then scratched at the surface, unsure if there was anything underneath the layer of frost. Suddenly, a spark of electricity ignited in mid-air, just in front of the wolf, scaring it away.

The spark had died out, regained itself, and grew into an ample portal of light, setting off several sparks. Just then, a dark object skids out of the portal, and onto the ground from exhaustion. This dark object is indeed Wally West. But whether he is alive or not, remained a question, as he lay on the ground unconscious, with his Kid Flash suit torn. The storm was heading dangerously close to the fallen hero, yet was not ceasing.


	3. Devastated

**Story by Darksuperboy**

**Written by me**

* * *

Over and over the high shrill wailing pierced the silence of the house. It echoed through every room, as if searching for occupants that were no longer there; a living room with its dark green couch playing host to nothing but a few throw pillows and forgotten coins, the kitchen's empty refrigerator trying desperately to compete with the sound, omitting its own low humming buzz. The sound was loudest in the bedroom, where it emanated from the clock on the nightstand, the epicenter of a microscopic earthquake, demanding to be acknowledged. As if fearing the clock would escape, a hand moved slowly out from under the covers of the bed inching towards the machine. Then quietly and ever so gently, one finger pressed the button on its top rendering it silent once more and allowing the quiet to settle over the house again.

With an extended groan Wally threw his arms up pulling the blanket away from his face. His arm landed flat on the mattress next to him; faint sounds of movement told him Artemis was already up and about, just out of his sight. He lifted one hand and laid it on his chest, absent mindedly rubbing his sternum. Soreness radiated across his chest as if he'd been beaten in a fight he couldn't remember. Resigning himself to it, he pulled the covers back up to hide from the light in the room, intending to sleep away his pain.

"Wally! It's time to get up! You'll be late for class again." Artemis called out of the bathroom. Her voice was light and teasing. "Honestly how can someone as fast as you be late to class?"

"Fine." Wally groaned gripping the edge of the blanket in a fist. He jerked the covers back off of himself this time all the way. As his body heat escaped, light goose bumps broke out on his skin. Sighing he started to sit up straight. "I could do with a little less mother, a little more- Agh!" He gasped and crumpled forward with his arms wrapped around his torso. Fire was blooming across his chest, the pain making his breath catch in his throat. "Babe- something's wrong." He choked out.

"Wally, wake up." Her voice sounded far away. Wally glanced around the room, trembling. After a moment the pain began to pass, replaced by a chilling numbness. He gasped again, this time in fear, as the first spears of panic pierced his heart.

"Ar-artemis…" Wally's voice broke off as he looked towards the bathroom door, the dark wood palette creaking open on unoiled hinges. Artemis was standing there fully dressed in her uniform, bow and quiver strapped across her shoulders. Even with the emerald green mask covering most of her face, he could tell there was no emotion there; the usual light in her gray eyes had grown dull, making her appear lifeless. Wally raised one eyebrow as bewilderment crossed his face. Artemis' arms were down at her sides, one hand loosely clutching the handle of a shiny metal bucket.

"Wally." She took a slow step forward, followed by another; her boot clad feet sent vibrations through the floor, the sound like thunder in Wally's ears. "Wake up." This time her words fell from her mouth without force, barely audible, like the lightest breath of wind.

Wally watched her with ever widening eyes as her arm bent, hoisting the bucket into her other hand. Water sloshed over the sides, spilling onto the floor with a light slap and soaking into Artemis' gloves. Surprise crept into his voice as he spoke again. "Babe?"

"Wake up." With a rapid swing of her arms, the water sailed out of the bucket straight for his face. He closed his eyes and gasped as the icy chill struck his face. It spread through his body, raising painful rivers of goose bumps all across his skin. After the initial shock, his eyes shot open, greeted only by a sharp blanket of blinding white. Wind howled in his ears, sending stinging shivers down his spine; he couched, gasping again, fighting to bring air into his lungs. His hands sank wrist deep into the partially melted snow around him as he pushed himself up shakily, glancing around in pure astonishment at the landscape before him.

Snow drifts were building up, the flakes hovering over the ground caught up in the wind; they might has well have been waves in the ocean for all that they appeared to be in constant motion. The sky was dark, only a few sparse gatherings of stars visible through the thick cloud cover above him. Every breath felt like ice crystals were forming in his lungs.

A quick glance down at himself revealed that his suit was gone. He wrapped his arms around himself vibrating a little, hoping to gain some warmth. Slowly he came to a stand, turning slowly in a circle.

"Artemis." Her name fell from his lips and was lost to the wind.

North Pole

Time Unknown

Each step was a battle as Wally walked looking for any sign of the Team. As far as he could see there was nothing but snow, ice, and wind leaving him in a blinding white wasteland. On instinct he reached for the radio that was always securely nestled in the curve of his ear, letting out a defeated breath when he found it wasn't there. As the air left his lungs, it was replaced by the now familiar feeling of liquid fire burned through veins. The sensation sent him back to his knees where shards of ice dug sharply into his skin. Then it was gone, just a suddenly at it had appeared. With shaky breath pulling in gulps of air, Wally got back to his feet. One more glance around confirmed his fear. Numb with cold, unclothed and exhausted, he was going to have to run all the way home.

After taking a moment to orient himself he started off south, slowly building up speed as he went. Warmth spread through his muscles, a small comfort this time, instead of the bearer of pain; his shivering subsided little by little as he ran faster, barely thinking about the fact that his stomach should have been clenching in protest at the lack of food, but felt nothing. He nearly stumbled as the he realized the snow and ice beneath his feet had changed to rocky beaches, the ocean to his side frothy and white with breaking waves.

Wally's mind whirled with sudden disorientation. The cold of the arctic had swept past him faster than he'd thought possible; even the small villages he had expected to see coming from the north hadn't been there. He rubbed his eyes, trying to dispel the blurriness creeping out from the edges of his vision.

_I'll just have to keep going until I get home then. I can't zeta to Watchtower like this or they'll never let me hear the end of it. _He was barely able to put the thought together as he angled towards the water to avoid the rocks and other debris that littered the sand. Thunder roared overhead leaving Wally looking up, futilely searching the clouded sky for lightning that wasn't there. Forcing his gaze back to the horizon before him he sighed thinking the San Francisco skyline should have come into view by now.

As the minutes passed Wally's anxiety grew, until the stoic silhouette of the Golden Gate Bridge came into view. It wasn't illuminated by the city and streetlights as usual, just he faint light of the moon reflecting in the clouds. "The vortex must have caused black outs all over the world." He said it aloud forgetting for a moment that no one was there to hear him. He curved his path out across the water, picking up his speed to glide across the waves. A smile bloomed across his face at the thought of home; all he wanted now was a warm bed, possibly a meal, and to see Artemis' face for real this time. The opposite coastline was coming ever nearer when the first bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.

Wally's legs froze mid-step, his legs partially sinking into the water as he momentum carried him forward into a roll the rest of the way to the beach. He skid through the sand carving a deep trench. As fast as only a speedster could, Wally was back on his feet. With mouth gapping wide, he stared at the sight in front of him. The Bridge was lying skewed, its end broken and sunken into the ground. Suspension cables lay scattered across the ground like vines snaking from the roots of a tree. The next bolt of lightning revealed the crumbling remains of buildings along the coast and farther into the city.

"What…" Wally shook his head and forced himself back into a run making a bee line for home. Every step seemed to drag as thoughts of Artemis whipped through his mind. There were no signs of life as he ran on the roads, not carrying about his lack of clothes or that his feet would hate him later for running on the asphalt. Cars littered the streets; some were concaved, struck by other cars or debris that had fallen from the ruined buildings around them. Others were turned over on their sides up against walls like barricades. Wally gave them little notice as his feet carried him home on memory. It was the longest forty-two miles he had ever run, and he hated every moment he wasted.

The roof of the house they shared came into view and Wally slowed to halt. His shoulders drooped as he studied it. The whole house was leaning to one side. There were holes in the roof and one entire wall had fallen into the structure. Common sense told him it wasn't safe to go into the unstable structure, but he dove in anyway. He ducked on the beams that were stretched across the rooms where they shouldn't be; the wood of the floors and parts of the exposed walls were rotting, and the wallpaper was peeling up, looking yellowed and old. The couch was gone, the refrigerator overturned and broken, the pictures on the walls missing from their place.

Too many times that day he had fallen to his knees; this time clouds of dust flew up from the floor and his hands clenched into fists. A tear spilled from each eye, making tracks through the dirt that streaked his face. He reached up with one hand and wiped his face, blinking in the dim light. A small metallic glint caught his eye. His curiosity peaked, Wally turned and pushed the beam in front of him revealing a dented metal case bearing a seal.

"Wayne Enterprises." Wally smiled as he felt renewed hope. He pulled the box towards him, finding he easily remembered how to open each of the complicated locks. A quiet click told him the box was open; inside the familiar bright yellow and red, complete with lightning bolt greeted his eyes. He hadn't cared much when Dick had first given him the box, but now couldn't have been more grateful. "Just in case" he had said. With quick sharp movements, Wally pulled the uniform from the box, dressing and readying himself for what lay ahead. He picked up the photo of Artemis he had stashed away as well, tucking it into his suit against his chest. One last look around the apartment and he was moving towards the exit once more. He pressed his hand to his chest feeling the burning ache again, but pushed it away, replacing the feeling with his resolve.

"I'll find you. No matter what." Wally said to the air. He stretched, the suit feeling a bit tight, before turning and running straight back into the heart of the city.

Palo Alto

Time Unknown

Wally came to a standstill in the middle of the city. He'd run up and down streets and alleys, finding himself wishing he could find someone, anyone. The entire city was devoid of life. The scene was the same as it had been in San Francisco, but seemed to get worse the farther he went. There were overturned cars, broken and disfigured. Buildings were collapsing in on themselves littering the ground with massive chunks of concrete and stone. Every breath he took was clogged with dust. The asphalt of the streets was torn apart as if an earthquake had dislodged it from its rightful place. As Wally turned in a circle staring at the destruction around him, he noticed that almost everything was scorched. The paint was burned from the cars leaving them all black and charred. Long streaks of soot adorned the few walls that still stood. When he looked down, light drifts of ash were swirling around his boots giving them a gray foul smelling coating.

_Did we…fail? _Wally's mental voice was tinged with dismay and self-loathing. A distant thundering boom drew his attention, pulling him from his melancholy reverie. Though the sky was still overcast with thick storm clouds, instinct and experience told him the sound came from the ground.

A few steps had his speeding in the directions of the sound until more sounds assaulted his ears; this close it was unmistakably gunfire interlaced with low unearthly growls and grunts, but the closer he got the quieter the sounds became, until finally they stopped altogether as he came to a stop once more. His ears strained to pinpoint the source when the wall to his side shattered raining concrete and mortar down on him. He put his hands up to shield himself catching sigh of a figure passing through the gaping hole and colliding with a car on the other side of the street.

Wally coughed covering his mouth with his hand as the dust began to settle around him. He waved his hands trying to clear his line of sight; across from him, lying grim faced and obviously angry inside the crushed frame of the car, was Devastation. She was staring into the hole, her face screwed into a scowl, pulling her thorned vine tattoo into a line, her cornrows stretched tight across her scalp. Wally's mouth gaped open for only a moment until he flew into a fit of rage.

"You! You did this!" He screamed, despite the calmer, albeit tiny, part of his brain tell him the agents of The Light had meant to double cross the Reach. Devastation turned her head sharply at the sound of his voice. Her face read surprise at the sight of him, but just barely long enough for Wally to notice; a moment later she had composed herself.

"No." She said simply. "They did." A low guttural growl resounded from inside the hole. Wally went rigid and turned with no idea what to expect.

A massive foot appeared, stepping down onto what remained of the sidewalk, crushing the unfortunate brick that lay in its path. Wally's eyes widened, his gaze trained on the claws protruding from the foot. It was followed by another until the entire beast had removed itself from the shadows. He could barely comprehend the creature that now stood there, growling low in its throat. It stood at least seven feet tall maybe more, though it was hunched forward. Its shoulders were wide supporting large arms bearing thick ropes of muscle, tipped with dangerously clawed hands. The legs were equally muscled, half bent at the knee as if it were poised to spring at any moment. What struck Wally the most were the glowing brilliant red eyes; just over the creatures shoulder, two more sets of crimson orbs appeared.

Gulping to swallow his sudden nervousness, Wally took a slow step backward. As though his movement were a signal the first creature opened its mouth letting loose a horrendous shrill scream. The two behind it did the same a moment later, Wally cringed as the calls were answered from all around them, the screams both unnervingly close as well as far in the distance. The high pitched wailing was cut off as Devastation roared charging towards the trio. Wally watched in amazement as her fist flew at the first creature, the robust punch sending it flying backwards into the hole from where it came. Wally just blinked, rooted to the spot feeling himself nearly crumble under the weight of his shock and confusion.

A few blocks up the street, another harsh scream echoed around the ruined buildings, piercing into Wally's ears. He turned his head slowly and nearly gasped. Fifty more of the creatures were coming towards them; they had sprouted wings and were speedily flying up the street uninhibited by the rubble. They each carried a staff clutched in their clawed hands, the foremost flyers' already glowing red and pulsing with energy. The one who seemed to be leading swung its staff in a wide arc, sending a red bolt of energy careening towards Wally. Pulling himself from his trance, Wally zipped to the side, never taking his eyes from the bolt. As quickly as he moved he could see it fly in slow motion; his gaze moved beyond it to the staff in the creatures hand, his eyes narrowing in recognition. He weaved through the rest of the bolts that had been fired then came to stop standing on the hood of a car.

"That's Apocalyptian!" He shouted to no one in particular climbing down from his perch.

"No duh Red!" Devastation yelled back ripping one of the creatures off her shoulder; it had been biting her, but had caused no damage to the woman. Gripping it by the neck, she tossed it into the same building making yet another whole in the barely stable wall. When she turned back to Wally he was already turning in a circle, looking at the ring of creatures that had landed and were now surrounding them. "Any ideas Red?"

Wally didn't answer but backed away from one snarling beast, stopping only when he had collided with Devastation's back. "Me? You started this!" He turned his head and looked over his shoulder scowling up at her and narrowing his eyes. "Why shouldn't I just leave you here for them?"

"Because we want the same thing right now, Red. Answers." Devastation turned a little keeping her eyes trained on the creatures. Wally clenched his jaw and grumbled something as he turned to do the same. The ring around them was contracting with each advancing step they took, forcing them to move closer and closer together. Wally smiled to himself, thanking his brain for the idea.

"Hold on to something." He said quietly over his shoulder. "It's about to get very windy." He couldn't see her face, but recognized the pull of a smile anyway as Devastation knelt feigning surrender. She opened her fist, laying her palm flat on the ground, but clenched it getting a firm handhold into the asphalt. With a wry smirk, Wally zipped away running around the perimeter of the ring of enemies. He took a few deep breaths pushing himself to run faster and faster. He could see some of the creatures' looks of confusion turn to realization, but it was a moment too late as the air around them was being pulled into a circular current already picking up debris and the few that were trying desperately to fly away. The wobbled in the fierce wind until their wings crumpled under the force of the wind. Whatever glass was still remaining in the windows of the surrounding buildings shattered, swept up in the tornado that was forming around the speedster.

Wally glanced at Devastation where she knelt in the eye of his miniature storm. Her braids whipped in the wind and her eyes were shut tight against the dust and other debris flying past her face. The last of the creatures flew past Wally and into the rubble, out of sight; sighing in relief he began to slow. The howling wind around them whispered to stop leaving nothing to say it had been there, save Wally hunched over and panting with his hands on his knees.

"This…must…be what…normal people…feel like." He said between breaths. He wrapped one arm around his stomach preparing for the onslaught of gurgling hunger noises, but it never came. With another confused sigh, he straightened up and looked at Devastation who had done the same. "Now, I want answers-"

"Great. One of those flying monkeys was smart enough to call for back up." Her tone carried sarcasm and annoyance. Wally jerked around to see what was coming. A low buzzing hum reached his ears. Not a minute later down the street a hover craft rounded the corner. Once again surprised, Wally was reminded of a tank without treads and sporting two barrels. The air in front of the machine crackled with energy laced with pure menace. Wally turned preparing to run, when his feet were pulled from beneath him. A blast of energy shot past and hit the building behind them a few blocks down. Where the resemblance of a once proud sky scraper had been, now only a pile of charred brick and ash remained. The street was bubbling heat. Overcoming his shock Wally turned to find himself in Devastation's arms. She leaped with a grunt of effort and landed the two of them atop the next building. She jumped again, striking the ground on the other side.

Wally squirmed, uncomfortable with the fact that he was literally in the hands of the enemy. "Okay! You can put me down now!" He shouted looking behind them. "I think we lost-"

"Nope!" Devastation just tightened her grip on him and jumped again. As they sailed through the air, the hover tank came into view above the skyline. It turned and began pursuing the two, getting closer much faster than Wally would have thought. Small red bolts of energy sailed at them leaving marks in the roof and taking chunks of out the stone. Devastation jumped again, hitting the ground running. She put one hand to her ear. "Big Blue! I need some help here! And I'm bringing home a little gift!"

Wally blinked in surprise at the name. _Is she talking about…Superman?_ _Why would Superman be helping Devastation?_ His train of thought was cut off as one of the bolts struck Devastation straight in the shoulder. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground, sending Wally rolling from her grip, unprepared for the sudden loss of motion. He hit the ground with enough force to knock the air from his lungs.

As he lay there gasping the hover tank appeared above him, the menacing red light beginning to form at the end of the gun barrels. He blinked and when he opened his eyes, another light caught his eye, this time from the side. The blinding brilliance formed a sharp stream of light that cut through the hover craft, leaving it cleanly in two pieces. It dropped a few feet then burst into flames, careening into the ground.

Wally rolled to his back to look for the new light source; he glanced around wildly, his gaze coming to rest on a cluster of men all dressed dark colors, the mix of clothes looking odd to him. He sat up staring at them as one man stepped forward removing the helmet from his head. The man looked to be either in or nearing his fifties; his eyes were clear despite the slight graying in his brown hair. Even with the misshapen form of his clothes he was obviously well built; a stern expression adorned his face as he walked over to the crater Devastation's landing had made.

"That cost us a lot of energy Devastation. It had better be worth it." He said in a commanding tone. Devastation didn't appear to be the least bit intimidated.

"Believe me," she replied with a slight smile, her voice carrying a chuckle. The sound was unusual for someone who had just been shot. She lifted a hand and pointed at Wally. "It is."

The man's expression varied from commanding to shocked as he spotted Wally. He took a few rapid steps toward him, walking with purpose. With fear clenching at his heart, Wally turned and pushed himself to his feet, but only just long enough to great the pain in his chest again. He fell back to his hands and knees, looking up at the man. He blinked as he reared back a fist. The next thing Wally knew was darkness.

Wally blinked a few times, the black ring around his vision slowly pulling back. He could see muted halos of light through a dark film covering his face. Heat from his breath bounced back against his skin, telling him his head was covered. The haze of noise that buzzed in his ears became clearer as the ringing stopped. He picked out a collection of voices talking in just slightly hushed tones.

"What do you think? Maybe he's one of those Cadmus popsicles they just took off ice." Wally didn't recognize the voice, but it was distinctly male.

"I don't think so. If we'd had one of this guy we would have used him a long time ago." Of course it was Devastation talking. Wally gritted his teeth at the memory of The Light's use of cloning. It still made him angry and sad to think about Roy- all the Roys.

"So what are we talking here? Shape shifter maybe? A descendant perhaps?"

"Nah. His girl never had the chance before the first wave. Besides the original guy was MIA for a long time before that. It couldn't be that. There aren't many shifters left, maybe he's one of Granny's cheap knock-offs. He's a bit faulty though, but I grabbed him for intel anyway."

"It was a good call. I've been in contact with Green. She'll be here soon to see what he knows." The man paused and Wally waited with baited breath. "But that doesn't mean we can't ask him a few questions now. Especially now that he's awake." The cover was lifted from Wally's head and he squinted in the suddenly bright light.

"Morning sunshine." Devastation said crossing her arms over her chest.

When Wally's eyes had adjusted he looked up to see the same man in front of him. "So what can you tell us, kid?"

Wally ignored the question and looked down at himself. He was on his knees with his arms pulled apart and held out wide with chains attached to each wall. His legs felt heavy even as he sat there, telling him he had to be weighed down somehow. Satisfied with his survey, Wally looked up again. "It depends on who you are."

The man just backed up a little, a jubilant laugh bubbling from his throat. "You're right D. This guy is fried. I think you may have bumped his head a bit too hard with that landing earlier."

Wally almost growled in frustration. "Who _are_ you? Where am I and what's going on? Tell me!"

The man just looked down at him. "I am Commander Michael Edward Greenway, Leader of the San Francisco Division. Resistance. You should know that, unless Granny cooked you for too long."

"What? Who is Granny?" Wally demanded. "What happened here?!" His voice was climbing in volume.

Michael looked up from Wally's eyes to his forehead. "He must be all mush in there. It's going to be a good old fashioned walk in the park for Green to sift through there."

"He might be a Trojan Horse." Devastation said speaking up again.

Michael just shrugged dismissively. "If I had read whatever book that reference is from I would know whether or not to agree with you. But for now, let's just assume he's some kind of 'blank slate' that got through the screenings." A light flashed in the corner of the room followed by another droning buzz. "Great. Another wonderful message from out soulless self-proclaimed leader himself. Maybe we can get some decent comm time out of this one." The two turned to leave making Wally anxious.

His mind whirled putting everything he had seen and heard together. None of it made sense and he really felt as though his brain was cooking inside his skull. "Wait! Please! What year is it?" He pleaded. The two of them stopped and looked at each other sharing their own look of confusion. Wally clenched his jaw again. "WHAT YEAR?" He bellowed in desperation hoping force would get him an answer.

"I knew it. His egg is scrambled." Michael gestured for Devastation to exit the room and he followed with one more look over his shoulder at Wally. "It's 2063." He replied before shutting the door with a resounding clang.

47 years later


	4. Bonding

**Story by Darksuperboy**

**Written by TheHeroGuy (Posted here with his permission)**

* * *

Earth  
August 8th  
Time  
AOC Headquarters

Cameras flashed madly, as a certain reporter stood in front of a tall, light colored building, facing the camera crew with a microphone in hand.

"This is G Gordon Godfrey, reporting outside of the Alien Oversight Committee headquarters, where a crowd has formed. Why you ask? Well, the infamous Justice League is once again breaking the rules."

The enthusiastic reporter's snarling voice then continued, not mentioning the fact that the Justice League immediately notified the AOC as soon as possible.

"This time, not only did they travel off planet, but also brought back another alien to Earth!"

Just as he said this, on television screens everywhere, a picture of Starfire was shown next to him.

Godfrey then went on, with a dark smile.

"Well, at least the Alien Oversight Committee is speaking with the alien right now to assess its threat to humanity..."

Within the dark confines of the building and corridors, one room stood out in particular. From the outside of this room was a dark figure in the shadows, carefully observing through the one way glass window. Inside this room were four other people, and a long, glass table. Two were sitting on one end of the table, and the other two on one end. The air was definitely unsettling, almost awkward, but it was only because of the two men in suits sitting on one end. On the other end sat Black Canary, and the cause of it all, Starfire. Now the two men in suits were shuffling through files and folders.

The dark figure watching from the outside was Batman, and then a door is opened. The door was then opened by Nightwing, as he entered, and stood next to Batman. The air was thick with a burning silence, as no words were shared. Batman did not even move when Nightwing entered the room, and instead continued staring at the four people inside the other room. Nightwing was the first to break the painful silence.

"How is she doing?"

The silence was then beginning to sink in once more, and Batman finally responded.

"Good. Under the circumstances..."

Inside the room, an agent closes some of the files, and then coughs, facing Starfire.

"So... Miss Starfire. Why do you believe you should be allowed to stay here on Earth?"

Starfire's face remained calmed, even with the fact that she was used to people like these men, and their civil, yet underhanded form of interrogation.

"I believe I should be allowed to stay here on Earth because i was invited."  
Just then, the other agent responded with a cynical smile.

"That invitation was not issued by any government on this planet, so forgive us if we don't take that as a legitimate reason."

It was at that moment that Nightwing could tell that the Batman's hidden stern gaze had flickered in his direction, even after all the years he had been with him, he learned how to sense it underneath his dark cowl.

Starfire then began to explain to the slimy agents.

"I was in need of assistance, and one of your people offered it. Is that not something that is encouraged on your world?"

This had made one of the agents lean back in his chair, gritting his teeth at the legitimate, and well thought out response. Nightwing then began to think inside his mind.

"The AOC though mainly charged with protecting earth through physical means such as defensive technology and monitoring alien activity. It seems like its also become the focal point of Earth's diplomatic views towards other aliens races..."

He then looked in the direction of one agent, who was trying to weigh how much of a threat the alien girl posed, even after the Justice League claimed to be minimal. After all, the girl possessed no alien technology, coming with literally just the clothes on her back. Not to mention the public's reaction against the political backlash Earth might receive galaxy wide if any of this aliens species found out that a member of their race requested help and the human race didn't give it.

The agent then scanned through reports given to him by the League and the Green Lanterns, which had shown that the Tamarian Empire was a big player in the galaxy, both politically and militarily. Nightwing was trying to detect what the agent might be thinking from the reports, as he had caught a quick glimpse at the reports. He was most likely thinking that it might not be worth stirring up trouble by refusing help to one of Tamaran's citizens. Who knows, it would definitely be useful having them as Earth's ally too.

Black Canary then sensed the perfect opportunity to speak, as she leaned forward.

"Gentlemen, we are now merely going over the same questions that have been asked again over the last 3 days. Is there anything else you need to ask before we can hear a final decision?"

Just then, the agents began whisper to themselves, and Batman squinted his eyes.

The agent on the left looked back at his partner for a moment their eyes locked, as if speaking some unheard conversation. The agent sitting next to him then shook his head. The agent on the right then sighed with deep concern, pulled out a folder, and slid it across the table. The agent then spoke with a hint of anger.

"Inside, you will find your temporary pass for refugee status. The AOC will constantly be monitoring your whereabouts and activities whilst you are on Earth."

Black Canary then corrected him.

"General whereabouts. They will only be able to know her general whereabouts for the next 3 months."

The Justice League had maintained a strong standing on the locations of its members to general area when on duty to that of the city they were in. Access to more details on only in the event of an emergency, and the Justice League's members were the only ones with sensors to do it, so the committee couldn't really complain.

One of the agent's face then curled at knowing he had been corrected, and rolled his eyes in defeat.

"Of course. Your general whereabouts for the next 3 months. Starfire will also have to submit to at least one meeting a month to ascertain how well she is claiming to earth life."

His annoyed tone of voice then became very serious.

"But any action determined by the AOC to be unlawful of an endangerment to any person will result in your immediate and indefinite incarceration in a maximum security facility. Understood?"

Black Canary then quickly responded for Starfire.

"Perfectly. May we go now?"

Suddenly, the agent to their right waved them off. Just as the two women were getting up to leave, the other agent leaned back in his chair held up by a single leg, and spoke, making them pause.

"The same will go for those who have vouched for you, and any actions you take."

Rather than be looking at Starfire, he looked to Black Canary with a menacing face.

"So best be sure to behave..."

She then nodded, and both women left with no words, all the time wearing an irritated glare at the obvious threat that was the agent.

The two then exited the room, walked out to corridor where they were met by Batman and Nightwing.

Black Canary was first to speak, facing Batman.

"I suppose that went as best as hoped for."

Surprisingly, the next one to speak was Starfire, with a curious and anxious voice.

"So what is to become of me now?"

Batman then answered her question firmly.

"The League will provide you with accommodation."

It seemed that just the way he said that made Starfire feel unwelcome, with an air of hostility, making her head droop down. Nightwing saw this and quickly spoke to her.

"Don't worry Star, we'll make sure its somewhere nice."

Her head then perked up at hearing Nightwing's voice. Batman, on the other hand, stood solidly and looked dead at his former partner.

"The league will provide all the resources necessary for your stay here, Starfire."

Nightwing then stared back at Batman, while Black Canary gave a slight and unnecessary cough, motioning to Starfire's attention, whose gaze had been fixed on the two males. She then broke the awkward silence.

"Well, lets get to finding you those quarters, while these two continue their conversation."

She then motioned to Starfire, and leads her away from them. As they're walking away, Starfire looked back at two men, and levitated herself off of the ground slightly to keep watching the males over Black Canary, until the two of them turned a corner. Starfire then asked Canary a question that had been burning inside her mind.

"What is the happening between Nightwing and the Batman? Was I misinformed that those two are like father and son?"

They then stepped into a nearby elevator, and once they were inside, Canary pushed a button and the elevator began to descend. She then let out a deep sigh, and looked towards the ground.

"No, you're right. They're just going though a bit of trouble at the moment."

At the sound of this, Starfire's eyes also looked down sadly.

"Caused by me."

Canary then faced her, and put her hand on Starfire's shoulder, wanting to sincerely reassure her with a warm smile.

"Batman is not the bat you should be worried about when it comes to you and Nightwing. But honestly, those two have been heading towards this for a long time now. You just happened to be caught in the middle."

Just then, the elevator stopped, and the two women stepped out onto the underground hangar where zeta tubes were at one end, and between them about 20 heavily armed armored soldiers that were former UN forces, were now assigned to the AOC to protect the facility. The two calmly continued to walk showing no sign of altered mood to the soldiers presence. Starfire then spoke.

"I am most grateful for the kindness you have shown me over the last few day Miss..."

Canary's eyes then made Starfire catch what she shouldn't say.

"Canary, and any shelter you will provide, I am most thankful for."

Canary still hadn't quite figured out that part yet that any League headquarters would be seen. That and the League was slowly letting in more powerful aliens in, when the public weren't comfortable with the idea lately. Nightwing definitely couldn't take responsibility for her since he was no longer on the team or a League member, not to mention it would tick Barbara off to high heaven, and that wouldn't help things. The younger teams' houses weren't really an option either, and she couldn't really picture the next generation of heroes being able to handle the situation seriously yet. Would Diana allow any alien women on the island? The heroine was so deep in concentration, that she nearly bumped into the access port for the zeta tube. Before she did, she caught herself and then began to type into the the computer. Starfire then spoke up.

"Would it be possible for me to have access to more of the mustard i was served with yesterday? I believe the portions given to me where...unsatisfactory."

Canary found this very unexpected, thinking that the girl had one of the weirdest eating habits she'd ever seen before. She then smiled at the revelation of a redheaded teen with superpowers and a strange taste in food. The zeta tube then began to open, making the computer come alive.

"Recognise Black Canary: One-Three. Starfire: A One-Four."

Canary then grinned and faced Starfire.

"Just so happens I know the perfect place."

Earth  
Month  
12:36 PST  
Palo Alto

The sky was calm with clear, blue skies and a few clouds hovering above the sleepy town. But one small house stood out in particular. Although it appeared normal from the outside, with a very average porch and lawn. Within this house, however, was a not so average girl in the kitchen. Artemis was attending to her daily routine of activities, which included, in this case, sharpening her sword on the kitchen counter. As she kept sharpening it, she began to ponder on the last time she used the kitchen for anything else besides preparing her weapons.

Suddenly, Artemis heard a knock at the door, making her pause what she was doing, silently sharpened the sword quickly one last time. She then sheathed the sword and made her way to the door, carefully trying to stay out of sight of the windows. Artemis reached the door, took a quick peer through the eye hole, and recognised the familiar face. Just outside of her door was Black Canary in her civilian clothes. Artemis then let out a deep sigh, and opened the door.

"Dinah."

Canary then replied softly.

"Artemis."

Suddenly there was an elongated silence between the two heroines, but was quickly broken.

"May I come in?"

Artemis then replied, walking back into the house, leaving the door open for Dinah to follow.

"Sure. Come on in."

As Dinah closed the door behind her, she noticed that the table was littered with Chinese take-out boxes. Hoping to break a painful stillness of the air, she spoke.

"I see you've taken up Bart's style of cleaning..."

Dinah almost compared Bart to another speedster but it was still too soon. She then looked up in her direction, wanting to see her reaction. If Artemis had heard her, she showed no sign of it, as she placed her sword underneath the living room table and attached it her secret stockpile. She then muttered with a flat tone.

"Been busy with missions and school."

Artemis then sat down in a single chair facing Dinah, as she took the sofa. Dinah then replied, wanting to sound caring.

"You used to handle that easily enough in the past..."

Artemis then quickly cut off her off, making tensions slowly rise.

"That was then this is now."  
Her stern voice reminded Dinah of that troubled teenage girl she had tried to help recover from a mental exercise gone wrong, only this time the subject that helped her out of that situation was causing this one, and could tell from the look in the young woman's eyes that today was not the time for a counselling session. At this moment, Dinah didn't want to be a counsellor, she wanted to be a friend, and friends sometimes have to be mean to be kind.

"Artemis, were pulling you off the active mission roster."

Just as she said this, the girl shot straight up from chair.

"You can't do that! I won't let you!"

Dinah was then reminded of a familiar occurrence form the past, and listened as Artemis continued.

"I'm needed there!"

Dinah quickly replied, hoping to get to the point, all the while staying calm in her seat.

"What is needed is that you take a break from the field. You've logged more hours this week than some of your team have in a month, and its beginning to show."

Artemis' eyes then narrowed at the question of her performance amongst the team.

"And I don't just mean on missions either."

Once again, Artemis' eyes flinched. She knew her grades had been dropping, and there was no doubt Nightwing had been hacking her school systems again. Artemis then reminded herself not to forget that bit of information during their next sparring match. At this point, the familiar sound of paws could be heard rapidly hitting the tiled surface of the kitchen, and Artemis heard this, making her turn her head slightly. A small, male pit bull dog rounded the corner of the kitchen counter and stopped to look at the two humans. Dinah could see a drastic drop in the dog's excitement when it looked at her, the creature obviously expecting someone else.

But, never the less, the young dog scampered over to smell the new guest. She hadn't really approved of the young couple getting a dog, thinking that they weren't ready for that level of from a relationship standpoint, those two were meant to be together, but more from the responsibility side. Dinah could still remember the awkward telephone call of Wally explaining he had forgotten Valentine's Day again, asking for help with the understandably upset archer. But it seemed the pup had a calming effect on the younger blonde, as Dinah stroked the dog behind the ear. Using her peripheral vision, she could see Artemis sigh, and sit back down again.

"Hey Nelson. You miss me?"

The dog then barked as if to show agreement, let himself be stroked a few more times, then padded back to sit near Artemis, placing his head in her lap while she rubbed gently. Dinah immediately returned to their conversation.

"Its not that we don't think you're capable, it's just that the League and the team think you need a break, that's all.

Not looking up from her and her ex-partner's pet, Artemis replied weakly.

"I know."

Dinah then continued.

"But if you think you're up to another mission we'd like to give you a look at one that's a little less... exerting."

At the former archer's raised eyebrow, Dinah sent a quick message on her phone, and a moment later the doorbell rang. The mature blonde then went to it, and opened the door, letting someone step inside Artemis' house. This immediately got Nelson's complete attention, as the new visitor entered, it bounded over to the stranger. Perhaps a little too excitedly, and stumbled over his own legs, sliding across the floor, bumping into the new person. This person having seen this strange creature practically leap at her direction, now raised a glowing green fist, and to the strange specimen only to have it quickly caught by Dinah.

"Let's not incinerate your new roommate's pet shall we?"

Nelson unknowingly having seen more stranger things than any of his kind, had simply looked up from his curious position, and looked back at the girl with the glowing hand. The dog turned his head slightly, then decided to file this under the same subject like that of the girl who smelt of food, and could change shape, or that boy who sometimes looked like another dog and would play with him or that really big shiny ball Master once showed him. He instead lost interest, since this person wasn't giving him any attention, so he rolled over and walked off, looking for a quiet place to nap. Dinah then announced her next mission with confidence.

"Artemis, this is Starfire. She'll be staying with you for a while."

Earth  
Month  
1:27 PST  
Watchtower

Green Arrow and Captain Marvel were on monitor duty when suddenly a zeta tube activated, followed by the computer's monotone words.

"Recognise: Black Canary, One-Three."

As Black Canary entered the Watchtower, Green Arrow watched her walk over to him, all the time smiling. She then wrapped her arms around his neck, and looked into his eyes. Obviously confused by this show of affection, both Green Arrow and Captain Marvel weren't sure of what to do. Captain Marvel especially not sure where to look, started staring at the monitoring screens as if they were the most interesting thing in the universe. Green Arrow then broke the silence with his gentle voice.

"How did it..."

The archer was very interested in his former protégée's new living arrangements, but was interrupted by Dinah kissing him, lasting a good ten seconds before they separated.

"You're gonna be paying for all her food, utility and shopping expenses."

She then leaned in for another kiss, but stopped. She was waiting for Green Arrow's response.

"Ok."

The two then continued to kiss again, more committed this time since the first time. Captain Marvel then leaned into the monitor a bit more, trying to figure out what to do since he was still on duty. Dinah pushed Green Arrow back to break again.

"You're also buying them a car to travel in."

She loosened the firm hand that was keeping the two apart, so Green Arrow approached to continue but stops.

"Ok."

Dinah then removed the obstructing arm between them and the two kissed passionately. Captain Marvel's face was practically touching the screen, trying to focus. Dinah then broke again, pulled on his quiver's strap around Green Arrow's chest, and started pulling him towards the zeta tube. Green Arrow was grinning from ear to ear the entire time. While Dinah was walking backwards whilst pulling him in, looking seductively. She then stopped outside the zeta beam's scanning range.

"And you're buying the flat underneath Artemis' so she can have her own space."

"Yeah, sure."

His eyes closed as he stepped forward to try and come in for another kiss, but was pushed back with his eyes still closed. He was then woken by the computer.

"Recognise: Black Canary, One-Three."

Green Arrow's eyes opened immediately to see that the zeta beam had been activated. He looked at her with sleepy eyes, as she was standing before the zeta beams, and spoke to him.

"You can't leave. You're on monitor duty, but thanks..."

Dinah then blew a kiss as she disappeared, while he look dumbfounded and slack jawed until he remembered to come back to reality by the sound of Captain Marvel's laughing.

Earth  
August 9th  
9:15 AM PST  
Palo Alto

The clock hanging in the living room slowly kept on quietly ticking, never stopping. Then, from out of the doorway was a freshly showered and towelled Artemis, who re-entered her bedroom, and opened her the closet to select today's outfit. Instead of giving Starfire lessons today, she decided it to take her to get new clothes, after all, the alien had only been provided with basic clothes by the AOC during her interview process. But, they had been left behind as soon as she left the building, making it mandatory that they get something less...extraterrestrial.

Artemis then shuffled through her clothes until she found an extra set for the alien, and quickly left the closet, all the time her eyes avoiding a strong box trunk within. She then quickly got changed, and once she was finished, she walked out to the living room and sofa to find it empty. No Starfire. Artemis had let her stay the night, but still had remains of bedding and a sleeping dog on its back, snoring and drooling away. Artemis then let out a frustrated groan, already thinking that her day hadn't even started and it was already going horribly.

"Great. I've lost my alien..."

She then heard a loud sound, followed by the clinking of pots from around corner, which made Artemis head towards the kitchen.

"Staaaaarfire!"

To her surprise she found every cupboard was opened, and food had been scattered all over the floor. But perhaps the biggest surprise was that her newly met alien roommate was in her underwear. Starfire then looked up to Artemis with a cheery smile.

"Good morning friend Artemis!"

Starfire then flew over to hug her, and all the time Artemis stood frozen solid, which of course the alien girl didn't notice. She continued, as she kept hugging Artemis.

"I hope that you have slept well!"

Suddenly Artemis found the perfect pause in their conversation, which snapped her out of the mind freeze.

"Uh, yeah Starfire. Thank you. Look, Starfire. I was just wondering, where are your clothes?"

Starfire then began her long story as she flew around the kitchen.

"Oh, I could not sleep with the thought of the first day of seeing a new world, so when it was first light, I washed my clothes and put them outside to dry. I could have sworn another one of your dogs was being walked by a man who did not seem to focus on his task, and walked straight into one of those poles that stand at all your earth streets corners. I then entered the house after saying hello, and as I waited for you to wake, another man knocked at your door bearing packages, which I took. Then he proceeded to trip down the stairs as he left."

The alien girl then leaned in more quizative, while Artemis leaned back, concerned of what she might do. This was definitely not the situation she had signed up for.

"Are all men on this planet clumsy, or is it this specific region of them?"

Artemis then replied, while wishing that she had read more of the briefings Canary had brought about Tamarian society.

"Um, I'll look into it, until then..."

She then pushed the extra set of clothes to Starfire in order to cover her exposed body.

"I've got some clothes for you to wear. But first, I think its best if you have a shower, which is down the hall, and on your left."

Starfire then looked at the clothes with great curiosity, and smiled.

"Thank you friend! I shall do just as you have instructed me, and try them on immediately!"

The girl then floated away, looked at clothes, and called back to Artemis.

"I have also prepared your morning meal with the most delicious foods I could find!"

Artemis then looked back down corridor after alien, and is clouded by pure confusion. The archer then walked over to the kitchen counter to survey breakfast.

Having spent years watching the speedster eat, Artemis had been used to odd combinations of food, but none compared to the one she was looking down at. Before her was a plate of pickles, pickled onions, and what looked like a raw radish that had been mashed. Unsure of what was in the glass next to the plate, Artemis hesitantly sniffed the content of the drink. In the glass was mustard, and as the hero tried to devise a way of getting rid of this food disaster without offending her alien friend, the doorbell rang. Grateful for the perfect timing, the blonde quickly exited the food blast zone, and headed towards the door, nudging Nelson to the side. She opened the door slightly, only to see her former teammate in front of her.

"Zatanna?"

She in turn replied with a smile.

"Artemis."

It was then that the archer wanted to know the reason for her visit.

"What are you..."

Zatanna then cut off and explained

"Dinah thought you might need a hand with your new guest."

Artemis then spoke in return.  
"I think I'm capable of looking after myself and an alien girl."

Suddenly, a strange series of singing traveled from the hall connected to the living room. Starfire must've have thought she was singing beautifully by tamaranian standards, but instead sounded more like a whaling cat to everyone within ear shot. Unfortunately, the only one enjoying the spectacle was Nelson, who started howling along. The dark haired girl then smiled as she looked to Artemis, whose blonde head dropped in defeat, letting the magical girl enter.

The magician waved a hand at the hall from which the alien song was resonating from.

"Kcolb eht neris gons."

As she was about to stop, Zatanna sat down on the sofa, and nelson nudged her leg.

"Eivg mih a enob."

A bone appeared from thin air, making Nelson bark at first, but then started to chew at it by her feet. In a cheerful manner, she began to speak like nothing strange had happened.

"So how are you, Artemis?"

Artemis then replied quickly

"Fine, how's Broadway?"

This made Zatanna uneasy, and replied sharply.

"Artemis, please. You know its New York and..."

The magician then saw immense stress in the archer's eyes, and decided not to tease for the moment.

"It's fine. So what are the plans for your redheaded bombshell, who I hear has taken a shine to our boy in black and blue..."

This managed to capture a smile from the girl, who then visibly relaxed from the stress of the morning so far. Just as Artemis was about to respond, Nelson's head shot up from his chewed bone, and bounded towards the door again just as the bell rang again. Artemis then got up, and answered it again, this time seeing another disguised teammate in her human form.

"M'gann?"

M'gann in turn was holding her arm shyly.

"Canary thought you could use a hand with your new guest."

Artemis then raised an eyebrow, and spoke sarcastically.

"Reeally?"  
She then opened the door wider to give M'gann a view of Zatanna, who was sitting on the sofa.

"Because that's what Zatanna's here to do..."

The Martian's eyes widened with shock, and Artemis could tell that they were trying to have a psychic conversation without her. With a snap of Zatanna's fingers in front of the Martian which seemed to do the trick of stopping obvious mental talk, as the alien girl's face went red.

"Do come in then."

The embarrassed girl then stepped in, while Artemis closed the door behind her.

"M'gann, we were about to discuss today's plans, but first, could you do me a favor and sort out my kitchen? It needs a bit of...Martian touch."

Now the green girl nodded, and floated to the kitchen area, while Nelson, who in turn was loving all the extra people, followed after her. Artemis then mentioned one other thing.

"And also, could you wipe my neighbour's mind, including the postman's?"

She then spotted Zatanna with a look of confusion.

"Don't ask..."

She hadn't even taken one step away from the door, when bell rang again, while the young dog zoomed back into the room excited to see the next guest.

"And why not?"

Artemis then opened the door to find Barbara Gordon standing outside.

"Artemis, Canary sent me to..."

She didn't get to finish her sentence, as she was yanked inside by the archer, who didn't expect nor want a list of the visitors. In total, there was a bat and a magician on the sofa, a martian in the kitchen, and a Tamaranian in the shower. Now ready to snap because of the stress her surprise occupants had brought, she slammed the door, assembling all the guests.

"Right. Should I be expecting anyone else since my porch seems to be the new entrance to the Hall of Justice? What about Raquel, Karen, Cassandra, or maybe even Wonder Woman?!"

Zatanna then spoke in response.

"Raquel has Amistad."

Miss Martian then followed after her.

"Karen has school."

Barbara concluded with a smile.

"Cassie has school, and as for Wonder woman...no promises."

Artemis was now fuming, and all she wanted to do was to be left alone with her thoughts. Her thoughts were of him, and they were ruining it by trying to make her forget by doing things without him. But as she looked from face to face, looking for that one more thing to push her over the edge and throw them out, she couldn't.

As she looked around to all the faces, but instead Artemis could see nothing but love and concern for her, along with a hint of pain on each of their faces. She then noticed comfort in just seeing their faces of others, and with a long heavy sigh she let her anger go. At that moment, Starfire walked in, gladly clothed.

"Artemis, who are all of these people?"

She was now looking at all the strangers who were looking back at her, the redhead in particular with a raised eyebrow as if trying to figure out a puzzle Starfire did not know of. Just then a slight cough brought the woman back to the attention of the archer.

"Starfire, these are my, and now your friends. We're gonna help you with an old earth ritual called 'girls' day out'."

Suddenly Starfire tilted her head, while the other women whooped with joy and clapped, then giving Artemis a hug.

Earth  
August 9th  
10:37 AM PDT  
San Francisco

The clear streets of San Francisco were bustling with activity, as the endless heat was beating on the asphalt streets. On one particular street, 5 strong minded, strong willed, and physically strong beautiful women strolled through together in a line. They were determined, and their mission was to shop until they dropped. Men turned their heads as they walked by, while the young women lowered their sunglasses to look at them, flashing a smile. Everyone else, however, just got out of their way to show respect when they saw them coming, from the sun hat-wearing brunette on the left, to the green shaded, long haired-redhead on the right. Starfire's eyes shined a brilliant green when the sun hit it at the right angle.

The young women then roamed from store to store, and in every single one, Starfire tried to buy very revealing items. The girls, especially Barbara, declined her startling taste, and moved onto shoes, purses, jewelry, and makeup for the young alien, all the time having a blast. They then stopped to introduce Starfire to the local foods for lunch, bringing mixed feelings when the girls had to pay for a hot dog vendor's entire supply of mustard bottles that she had gratefully taken without paying.

Now Starfire was drinking the yellow liquid through a straw, while the girls continued with their shopping. This time, though, everyone was trying on different items, even Artemis, who picked out a lovely jade green backless dress that matched her skin tone wonderfully. Though she had no idea of what she was going to use it for, the group then went through the markets for some bargain hunting. When the ladies charms failed to work on store owners with a x chromosome, Starfire seemed to be an expert on haggling them. But not even superhero girls can shop forever, and the group soon found themselves outside a little coffee shop, with their chairs surrounded by the days purchases.

Earth  
August 9th  
16:53 PM PDT  
San Francisco

The group of girls all leaned back on chairs, resting in the sun's rays. Zatanna was the first to break the tired silence, not even opening her eyes as she spoke..

"Good day..."

Barbara then spoke.

"Agreed."

Artemis then revealed who their benefactor was after the entire shopping spree.

"And it was all provided by Queen Industries."

This made the girls giggle, and continued to listen to the archer.

"But I'm guessing we should head back now..."

Zatanna's eyes then sprung open at the sound of this, and she sat up.

"But the night's just begun! We've gotta introduce Starfire to more of our friends: Margaritas, and the Rumba!"

Her eyes then closed, as she lay still in her chair, swaying her arms and body seductively to unheard music, making all of the girls smile. Artemis then spoke.

"No, Zatanna. Some of us still have to make revisions for finals, and I've only just caught up after the whole fake death thing."

Zatanna just continued to dance in her chair, but blew a raspberry at Artemis, who rolled her eyes.

"Plus, we have to get all these bags back to the cars."

The magician then opened one eye, and smiled.

"Told you we should've brought at least one man..."

Barbara then reminded them of something very important.

We don't need men. We're superheroes!"

Zatanna then grinned deviously, and looked in Barb's direction.

"Bet you wouldn't have complained if we brought Bird Boy along..."

The original team then burst out laughing, as Barbara silently turned a deep shade of red. Zatanna then looked at Miss Martian and spoke.

"Or maybe Connor for M'gann..."

M'gann immediately began blushing, making Barbara laugh.

"Either way, I get something good to look at and carry my things..."

Suddenly, a stern silence came over the group, making Zatanna open her eyes before her lips quivered and all of the girls began laughing again. This carried on a little longer, until Starfire asked who they were talking about.

"Oh honey, you'll soon see that being a hero sometimes has a few unseen perks."

The teammates then smiled softly while looking down at their glasses.

Barbara then turned to Miss Martian.

"How are you and Connor doing? From what I've seen, you two are getting closer again."

M'gann then stared into the ice in her fruit juice glass.

"We're ok, I mean... I mean I think he knows I've changed and I have."

Her eyes then rose to the group to show sincerity, and sighed.

"But he doesn't say anything. I think he still needs more time."

She then smirked at idea that just entered her mind: playful revenge.

"What about you Babs? How are you and Dick doing?"

Barbara, who was drinking from her glass, then flickered her eyes for a second to Starfire, and placed the glass on the table.

"Dick and I are fine. He has his life, and I have mine. He can make his own choices in the end, because I know where we stand."

She then caught Zatanna's smiling face, as if knowing a secret. She then spoke in her mind, just so Zatanna could hear.

''Your turn.''

Then she spoke so that the rest of the group could hear.

"What about you, magical girl? You found that magical guy yet?"

Zatanna then grinned, and stretched her arms.

"Noooo. Its the single life for me ladies. I want a single show kind of life at the moment... but doesn't mean I can't have some after parties sometimes!"  
The entire group then bursted out giggling. Starfire then innocently asked a dangerous questions that they had all been trying so hard to avoid.

"What about you Artemis? Do have mate at this time?"

The other girls immediately froze. The silent Artemis, who was stirring coffee with a spoon, stopped in mid stir.

The three girls eyes were then darting at each other, trying to figure out what to do. M'gann then decided to give it a shot, while Zatanna's and Barbara's minds were drawn completely blank.

"Starfire...Artemis had... there was a..."

The girl's struggling attempt at trying to say something was stopped by Artemis' hand motioning to stop. The blonde took a deep breath, and raised her head to Starfire's curious gaze.

"No, Starfire. I don't have anyone for the moment."

Sensing the tone in the young woman's voice, the alien girl remained silent.

"I did have someone a while ago, but there was an accident...and he died."

The group's heads bowed at the hurtful memories remembering that day. The funeral, the grave, empty spaces that should have been full. They expected Artemis to stop there, but to their surprise she continued, with a lone tear running down her cheek, but held great confidence.

"His name was Wally. He was annoying, ate like a pig and was sometimes too smart for his own good, kind, funny, dashing...and I loved every bit about him. He will always have a place in my heart."

Starfire then sensed the immense honesty and trust that the young women had just shown to her, and reached her hand over the table to make contact with Artemis', who accepted it without hesitation.

"I am truly sorry for your loss, Artemis."

Zatanna then stood up, and raised her glass.

"To Wally West. Incredibly flirtatious...yet loyal."

Barbara followed, doing the same, raising their glass.

"Overconfident, but caring."

M'gann did the same.

"Who never complained about my cooking...To Wally West."

The entire group then stood up and cheered.

"To Wally!"

Their glasses then clinked together, and the girls sat down to drink. A nearby trolley then coasted down a hillside, until a slight rumble came from the ground. Artemis then smiled, and decided to take her mind off of the sad memory.

"Maybe just one Rumba in a fancy club, but what should I wear?"

Zatanna then beamed with excitement, and replied with a smile.

"Why do you think we got you that dress?"

The magician then finished her drink, placed the glass on table. For some weird reason, even after the trolley had left, the rumbling sound continued. In fact, it had increased, and it was now moving the table, growing stronger with every second. Barbara was the first to figure out what was happening, as she stood up.

"Earthquake."

Earth  
August 9th  
17:02 PM PDT  
San Francisco

From one of the television screens hanging above a nearby electronics store, a GBS news report cut the daily broadcast. A woman then appeared in front of the newsroom to deliver this important message. The group of girls walked over, and looked at each other, nodding.

"This is Iris Allen, interrupting the usual broadcast to bring you these breaking news. The city of San Francisco is currently experiencing its worst earthquake of the year, so far measuring 6.75 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was approximately 25 miles northeast of the city, and within the usual lines of the San Andréa's fault. The state governor has already activated all state emergency precautions as well as the National Guard to assist the emergency services. Not only that, but he has also called upon the Justice League to provide any assistance that they can."

Iris was then handed a note, but already knew what it said. Her nephew may be gone, but his one true love was still near the city, and as a member of the Justice League she would do anything to help. She smiled as she looked at note, confirming guess.

"This just in. The League has said it will send more help if required, but League members are already at the scene."

Earth  
August 9th  
17:10 PM PDT  
San Francisco

The five girls stared out onto the city from their vantage point inside Zatanna's magical sphere. The magician had almost instantly created a glamour force field around the heroines, and levitating them all above the building out of sight in order to prevent them from being hit by any falling debris. She also teleported their shopping bags away so not to impede their view. The girls then saw various ripples of destruction, with pieces of metal and shrapnel fanning out among the city as if the buildings were on top of the ocean, rising and falling.

A great wave of air suddenly swept through the unstable landscape, roaring with heavy winds. The heroines hadn't been idle standing above the destruction, as Miss Martian had levitated falling glass from broken windows, preventing the glass from falling on the panicked pedestrians outside. It had been too dangerous to do anything else whilst the earthquake was still active, but now it had stopped, making the group quickly spring into action. Barbara then turned to Zatanna.

"Zatanna, if you'd please."

The magician nodded, and began her spell.

"Brag su rof elttab!"

In a brilliant flash of light, the team transformed into their alter egos. Now ready to help, Zatanna lowered the group onto the ground waiting for further instructions. Batgirl immediately looked at her wrist display, reading through the feed, and deactivated it.

"The earthquake took out local zeta tubes, and League estimates we have 15 minutes until more support can arrive from the Watchtower. The National Guard will take about an hour."

She then turned to the rest of the team.

"Our priority are the public, whose lives are in imminent danger. Make sure to sort through local emergency services when you can."

Barbara sharply turned to the two alien girls.

"Starfire, help Miss Martian. Do not do anything unless she says so. Miss Martian, go to the Golden Gate bridge, you are most likely going to find a big mess which will be cut off from support services for the moment."

Miss Martian replied with determination

"Right."

She then nodded to Starfire.

"Let's go."

As both flew off, Batgirl walked to the magician, and gave her further instructions..

"Zatanna, teleport Tigress and myself to San Francisco PD to coordinate League support when it arrives, and assist officers with law enforcement. Then go to the nearest hospital to start healing people to make space for more that arrive."

Zatanna understood, and her eye's eyes began to glow, while she spoke.

"Tropelet su ot erehw ew era dedeen."

She then clapped her hands and they all disappeared.

Earth  
August 9th  
17:22 PM PDT  
Golden Gate Bridge

Miss Martian and Starfire approached the bridge, which was in sheer chaos. She then spotted multiple vehicles that had collided against each other, some hanging over edge. Miss Martian then began to talk to Starfire telepathically.

"'You get the cars to safety, I'll sort out the people."

Starfire nodded, and grabbed the front of a Gotham Academy school bus that was on the verge of falling off the edge. With her superhuman strength she raised it back onto the bridge, while the school kids looked at her through the windows in awe. The alien girl then moved onto the next car that was dangling off the edge. Miss Martian suddenly flew high above bridge, flooding her mind with the terrified thoughts of various panicking people trapped in cars, not knowing what to do. M'gann then focused her mind, placing both hands to her temple and connected with each one of the minds on the bridge. Suddenly, the people on the bridge all looked towards her, as she spoke in their minds.

''Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm. The Justice League is here to help, so please remain in your cars. Exits will be opened, and any obstructions will be removed for all of you to move off the bridge. Once you are cleared out, emergency services will be able to arrive and help those of you who are injured."

The Martian then noted a massive drop in panicking minds, so she didn't hesitate to continue helping them. She then dropped lower, only to see a great deal of cars placed back onto the road. She smiled at the sight of Starfire, continuing on with the task wearing a warm smile every time she placed a car back onto the tarmac. Pulling herself back to the matter at hand, Miss Martian began separating two cars that had collided, and were now on top of another. She did note cars were now moving slowly off of the bridge and was relieved by the sound of distant sirens fast approaching.

Earth  
August 9th  
17:30 PM PDT  
San Francisco Police Department Headquarters

It had been their 9th arrival, as Tigress and Batgirl had unexpectedly appeared before the SFPD having appeared in a big ball of light a few minutes ago. But once the overall shock had worn off and things had been explained, the two heroines' arrival had been appreciated. The chief of police watched carefully as Batgirl provided communication support between each of the city's services and the League members that were now arriving, and sent them to the most important areas, keeping himself free to talk with other officers. The chief had eyed the more unknown female hero, Tigress with suspicion at first, but once he saw the women take down a looter that had escaped an officer's grasp, only to be caught by her, he had no complaints. In fact, he enjoyed the growing number of silent criminals occupying the detention cells that came with her presence.

Tigress walked among the cell doors, keeping an eye out for any troublemakers within them. The officers that had been required to guard these prisoners, were now free to support their partners with more important matters now that the once rowdy criminals were now dealing with a member of the Justice League, who was taking her duty very seriously. After reaching the head of the cell halls, Tigress turned and proceeded to walk back to the entrance, when suddenly, its doors bursted open for a fraction of a second and she could see no one had entered before two solid shapes appear in front of her. Before her was the Flash and the young Kid Flash, who spoke with a quick smile.

"What's up T? How's it hanging? You seeing what happened out there? Pretty crazy if you ask me, but hey, that's what we're here for, right?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes at Bart, but became confused as to why they were here in the police department, instead of outside in the city. Though it wouldn't take long for these two speedsters very long to get there. Once she spotted the older hero's head slightly bow, she realised that although she might not be able to see his eyes, she could bet she knew what her boyfriend's uncle was doing. Wally's love may not be there, but his family's sure was.

"I'm fine, thanks."

She then held out her arms to show them no signs of injury.  
"Now go."

The Flash then raised his head, stood still as if assessing the situation, and bolted outside. Bart grinned at her, and waved.

"Bye, T! Gotta go!"

With that, he was gone as well, leaving Artemis by herself. She sighed, but soon smiled as a struggling criminal was brought in by two officers.

Earth  
August 9th  
19:37 PM PDT  
San Francisco General Hospital

Zatanna lowered her hands once again after finishing casting another spell, with her eyes closed and her breathing heavy from the strain her body was under, but knew of the situation and what needed to be done. As the now healed civilians were wheeled out of the medical ward and the next batch of critically injured were wheeled in, she began growing tired. A nearby doctor beside her had noticed the magician's growing fatigue for awhile now and had decided that enough was enough.

"You need to take a break. You've done enough already, and far more than we could've done alone."

The doctor then placed a hand on the magician's shoulder, but the female Leaguer shrugged it off.

"I can do this."

She straightened herself back up again, raised her hands to the group of injured, and cast her spell with intense determination.

"Laeh meht."

Suddenly, a bright glow came over the injured bodies, until it slowly faded away, revealing healed wounds on everyone. Once the spell ended, Zatanna felt faint, as the room began to spin her legs gave way, and she began the fall but was quickly caught by the now proven right doctor.

"Nurse, get me a stretcher and 10 ml of stimulants. Send the next set of patients to Operating Room 1."

A large amount of movement then broke out at the doctor's commands, when a deep voice is heard.

"No. Fate with intervene."

All of a sudden, a flash of circular light lifted from the floor, revealing it to be Doctor Fate. The doctor stared when he noticed that Zatanna's body was covered in a glowing, golden aura. Her body then floated out of grasp, and onto the bed that had just been wheeled in for her. Zatanna tossed in her sleep, as if trying to wake up. Doctor Fate then leaned over the bed, and gently placed a gloved hand on her forehead.

"Rest, my daughter."

His hand then emitted a powerful glow, while Zatanna struggled to wake, until she slowly stopped. Fate then turned to the doctor as Zatanna was wheeled out into a waiting room.

"We shall continue, doctor."

The doctor nodded sharply, and motioned for the next set of patients.

Earth  
August 9th  
23:32 PM PDT  
San Francisco GBS Newsroom

"This is Iris Allen, with the latest report on the disaster in San Francisco. After 6 hours from the first quake, and no after shock for the last 5 hours, scientists have concluded that the approximately 20 moderate earthquakes in San Francisco, are over. Emergency services are still continuing the search for any possible survivors trapped underneath several collapsed building, but most sources believe it is unlikely anymore will be found. Now is the time at which the city will begin to rebuild itself, as well as its citizens. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost loved ones in this most tragic event, and we wish you the best. Our thanks go out to the brave men and women of the emergency services..."

The screen behind her then showed video feeds of nurses bandaging the injured, police carrying children to safety, and firemen helping a woman out of an overturned vehicle.

"For the lives they saved today, and will continue to save in their service to the people. We are also very appreciative for the help the Justice League has offered in supporting the services, and saving many lives as well."

A video is then shown of the Flash and Kid Flash moving rubble, so that a nearby ambulance can drive by.

"But we would also like to make a personal thank you to the latest visitor to our world: Starfire."

Another short video is shown of Starfire carrying the school bus back onto bridge.

"Some of us shunned her, while some of us did not want her on our world, and some of us still don't. Yet she was still human, and she showed that by saving the lives of countless people. For that, we extend our gratitude, and gladly welcome Starfire to Earth."

Earth  
August 9th  
23:35 PM UTC  
Apokolips

The image of Starfire then froze, revealing Vandal Savage watching the monitor while on the throne of War World. He then spoke with an eery, deep voice.

"It does not matter if this...one alien is welcomed by earth. His plan will continue, and this unpredictable event hasn't changed anything. Earth will still become our stronghold and soon he will rule it. Then, he will rule the galaxy..."

Just outside the War world, an alien fleet surrounded it, prepared to strike.

* * *

**Unfortunately TheHeroGuy is unable to continue writing with us so there will be a new writer introduced with Episode 6. I will continue writing every other episode, with Episode 5 coming this Saturday.**

**On another note, I will pick my other stories back up after June 13th. It is my last day of finals and I will have all the time in the world to write and get my stories in order. I apologize for the delays, but you know how school is.**


	5. Flashback

**Story by Darksuperboy**

**Written by me**

* * *

San Francisco

May 13 17:03 PDT

2063

Dark water sloshed against the shoreline. Overhead the sky was thick with black clouds that looked ready to burst, as though preparing to release a storm that never came. Wind blew wildly between the buildings that remained standing, creating a high pitched ghostly wail. Glass from the shattered windows littered the cracked and broken sidewalks below, where over turned streetlights crisscrossed the streets. Dismantled light poles lay atop the ruined asphalt and cars. Foul smelling steam billowed up between the cracks, hissing at is escaped its subterranean prison.

Beneath the streets the damage continued; massive sections of concrete lay across the subway tracks. The train cars were concaved under the weight of the collapsing tunnels. Mold and moss grew in the damp cracks in the stone where mortar had once been; no other life stirred in the cavern but a few scrawny rats, scurrying about searching for any pathetic morsel of food they could find. The clang of metal on metal echoed through the cavern. The sound was muffled and distant as if its source were buried still further underground.

Two men stood on either side of a solid iron door. One of them looked simply bored, staring at his wrist as if there were a watch there, or possibly an escape to relieve his wandering mind. The other kept up a constant stream of annoyed looks directed at the door, his eyes seeming to bore holes through the metal. Desperate shouts and strangled screams poured from inside the room, carrying such force they were barely muffled by the door.

"Let me out!" Wally shouted pulling on the chains that bound his arms to the walls of the room acting as his cell. "I demand to speak to your commander! Where is Michael!?" He jerked wildly, straining his arms as he pulled until he could stand the feeling no more. With a slightly defeated sigh he relaxed, his arms still held aloft by the iron links. As soon as the tension had left his body, it returned in full force with the blazing pain in his chest. Wally pulled on the chains again, this time to wrap his arms around his torso, feeling as though it was the only thing that would hold him together, keeping the pain threatening to shred him at bay. It subsided with each ragged breath he took, leaving him exhausted, but only for a moment before his energy returned in full force. Knowing he could do nothing more, he slumped over on his makeshift bed, turning to lie on his side.

It had been two days; two days he'd wasted in this place. Time he could have spent searching the world for Artemis. But it had given him time to think. With no other interaction other than a masked heavily armed guard coming in to give him a disgusting looking gruel twice a day, there had been little to interrupt his own internal musings, punctuated by periods of frantic outbursts he seemed unable to control. He looked over at the latest bowl where it sat on the floor still full, lined up with the others he hadn't touched. Even without eating he felt full, able to circle the world a hundred times if he'd wanted to. With another sighed he pulled the picture of Artemis from his suit holding it in front of him as he rolled to his back. His mind whirled with a thousand thoughts, each one jockeying for attention. If it was really 2063, then that meant… He refused to let his mind go there. But he'd seen what the city looked like, what those creatures had done to it.

_What's going on?_ He thought. Clutching the picture to his chest, he closed his eyes letting sleep come over him.

Wally woke to the sound of the locks on the door grinding open. He kept his eyes closed but his ears trained. The door swung open, the familiar whine of unoiled hinges piercing Wally's ears.

"We've kept him isolated just in case he has any of that subconscious programming. We wouldn't want to accidently activate him. But we have no idea what he actually is." The voice was unmistakably Michael's. He was obviously talking to someone, but there was no sound of a second set of footsteps. The distance of his voiced told Wally he was just outside the cell. "Devastation thinks he is useful. At the very least he has a very powerful functioning meta gene. Rise and shine sleepyhead! There's someone here I want you to meet." He said after a short pause.

Unable to keep up the ruse, Wally opened his eyes and sat up slowly. He looked at Michael, then out the doorway with narrowed eyes. They widened slowly as a second figure came into view. The figure was hovering just off the ground, face shrouded in a hood. Even without seeing her face, Wally knew who it was.

"M'Gann!" He shouted and started to speed forward, but was jerked to a stop by the chains. The figure floated back away from him. Wally's face fell when she didn't respond. "M'Gann? Miss M?" A minute passed when her hand began to rise, coming to rest at her hood. In one swift motion she pulled the hood down revealing her face. A quiet gasp escaped before he could hold it back. A long scar covered one side of her face from her chin to her eyebrow, a slightly lighter shade of green than the rest of her skin. It was raised and pulled at her skin, looking as if someone had set fire to her face. Beyond that, he could see she wasn't the same girl he remembered but a grown woman. "What happened?"

"This shouldn't take long." M'Gann said her eyes glowing a brilliant green. Wally knew the look but his vision went black before he could shout a protest. When it returned the darkness of his cell was replaced by blinding whiteness. He blinked, disoriented.

_What….Is this real? Am I home?_ The building was pristine. A statue of The Flash stood in the center of the room. _The museum. Central City._ A sudden loud crash drew his attention. Finding himself free of bonds, he sped around the corner finding Miss Martian tearing concrete from the walls with her mind.

"M'Gann!" He shouted running to her side. He reached out grabbing her by the arm. "What are you doing?" With a wave of her hand she sent him flying into a statue of Jay Garrick that crumbled into a pile of broken stone. Wally groaned and pressed a hand to his head as M'Gann moved on to the next set of statues, this time ones of his parents. He blinked in surprise as his father's likeness cracked and fell.

_Why would my parents be in… _Pain shot through his head as realization crossed his face. He got to his feet and ran back to her, staring around in horror. "M'Gann stop! Please! It's me! It's Wally! Kid Flash! Wall Man! Agh!" He shouted and pressed his hands to his temples as she shredded a picture of his home town. Falling to his knees, he tried desperately to remember what he's been taught about psychic attacks. The direct approach obviously wasn't working; subtlety would have to do. With his fists clenched, Wally slowly got to his feet.

"Megalicious!" He shouted the name. It wasn't one he'd used in a long time and had mostly been for the purpose of annoying Conner. With a deep breath he focused and a streak of lighting flew from his palm, hitting the girl, successfully halting her destruction of his mind. She turned to him with a glare plastered on her face. "Are you going to listen to me now?"

"You aren't him! You aren't real!" She shouted with her fists at her side. "He's gone! All of them are gone!" A dark green beam of light shot from her forehead straight at Wally. He dropped to the ground and rolled sending another bolt back at her, but was blocked by the shield that formed around her.

"I don't know what happened, but I'm here now!" Wally shouted firing again. Each bolt was blocked as she floated to the center of the room, focusing on a large statue of The Flash. "M'Gann! Don't! Please!" He stretched out a hand as a wave of distortion passed over the statue. Cracks appeared in the stone and Wally dropped to the ground clutching his head. He felt another pulse and the walls and ceiling began to crumble around him. Pain exploded in his head as he laid there, wave after wave slowly tearing his mind down with the building. He gasped trying to gather the strength to make her hear him. "CONNOR KENT!" The last words fell from his mouth, echoing around the ruining building.

As he'd thought, M'Gann froze upon hearing the name. She looked over her shoulder, looking as though it had been a long time since she'd heard the name. While she was distracted, Wally got back to his feet using everything he had left to tackle the Martian sending them both flying through his thoughts to the one room only the real him would remember. He collapsed to the ground on his hands and knees. Wooden shelves lined the walls, adorned with seemingly random object. M'Gann turned in a circle staring around at them in wonder. A child's sippy cup sat next to an robotic eyeball. Beyond it sat Artemis' arrow, the tip of it melted. A collection of other items, Wally's mission souvenirs lined the rest of the shelves. Slowly, a smile crept across M'Gann's face as she recalled every near fatal mission, but they'd all come home safe.

"M'Gann." Wally's voice rasped out quietly. The smile was replaced with a look of terror as she dropped to her knees beside him, pulling him close and stroking his hair.

"Wally! Stay with me Wally. I'm so sorry." She gasped out. Tears brimmed at her eyes, but she wiped them away lifting both hands to his head. She closed her and focused, piecing together everything she had destroyed. _Come on Wally. _Looking down at his face, relief spread through her as his eyes fluttered open again, his vision clear.

He was breathing hard and unevenly, and his voice came out weakly when he spoke. "Hey…Miss M…Those tears for me?" His own smile bloomed across his face as enough strength entered his body to wrap one arm around her in a hug. M'Gann hugged him back, half laughing half crying as they sat on the floor. Before either of them could relax, a bolt of lightning struck them, sending M'Gann flying away. She halted herself midair and shook her head to clear it looking back at Wally and gasping in horror. Bolt after bolt struck him, ripping cries of pain from his mouth.

"Wally!" M'Gann screamed, sensing real physical pain coursing through his body. She closed her eyes, pulling her mind away from his until she found herself standing just outside the open door of his cell. Wally was lying on the ground trembling and cringing every few seconds. Running through the doorway she dropped to her knees and pulled him close looking up at Michael with glare. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing! He just dropped like a rock! I thought it was something you did." Michael raised his hand defensively. "Did you find out who he is?"

"He's my friend Do something! Help him!" M'Gann yelled. Her grip tightened on Wally's shoulders as he stopped moving, passed out across her lap. "Wally!"

San Francisco, Resistance HQ

May 14 21:16 PDT

2063

Wally opened his eyes slowly, trying to adjust to the light. It wasn't bright in the room, but it was a drastic change compared to the darkness behind his eyes. A steady beeping sounded in his ears as he turned his head, making out blurred shapes around him. He was in a different room, this one looking much cozier than his cell had. As he say up his muscles clenched in protest, but he managed. Cringing a little he focused his eyes on the shape closest to him. Blinking rapidly to clear his vision, he realized it was M'Gann leaning on the side of the bed he was lying in. She was asleep, slumped over onto the bed from the chair she was sitting in. The sight brought a smile to his face as he looked at her. It was strange to see a person he remembered as a girl looking so much older than before.

_That's going to take some getting used to._ Wally thought to himself. He reached out a hand to her, looking at the scar that marred her face. Knowing he really shouldn't didn't stop him, his mind telling him that if he could just touch it, he would know all of this was real, not just a dream. His arm came to a stop of its own accord, making him look to his side. An IV was imbedded in his hand, the hose feeding into his vein stretched to its maximum link. It pulled at his arm sending a sharp pain through the limb.

"Ouch." Wally pulled his other hand up to rub at the area, inadvertently jostling the bed, waking Miss Martian.

"Wally!" Her face lit up as she half flew into the bed hugging him tightly. He squirmed a little, feeling added discomfort in his already aching ribs. "You're awake!"

"Not for long if you keep hugging me this hard." He wheezed giving her a gentle squeeze back. M'Gann pulled away a moment later, but still hovered close to him. She smiled and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, her face reflecting sudden surprise as she felt heat spread across her scarred cheek. Wally's hand was touching the mark, his eyes full of pain, but not his own. The light touch of his fingertips slowly turned to his palm. M'Gann blinked in surprise again, unused to the contact, but didn't pull away, enjoying the familiarity of a friend she'd thought she'd lost. She leaned into the touch covering his hand with hers while a single tear trickled down her face as she closed her eyes. "M'Gann…what happened?"

The question was quiet and came out on a heavy sigh. He wasn't sure what he was asking really, but wanted an answer for everything. Her face, where he was, when he was. Everything that had his mind straining to understand what he didn't know. The question seemed to unleash a steady flow of tears, as M'Gann reached up again to wipe them away as they appeared.

"You've been asleep for over a day and…gone for a very long time." She replied floating down to the ground and taking her seat in the chair without releasing her hold on him.

"I guess they told me that part." Wally said sitting up more and leaning forward. "But what happened? What's going on here?"

"We have time. I can explain it all later, but right now you need to rest." M'Gann replied turning her head at the sound of approaching footsteps. The door swung open slowly, revealing Michael dressed in his comfortable military looking garb as always. Wally pulled his hand away from M'Gann, but she seemed hesitant to let go, holding on to his hand as his fingers slipped away. If Michael had seen the contact he didn't show it on his face.

"So how's our newest patient doing today?" Michael asked smiling and coming into the room. He stood at the foot of Wally's bed and crossed his arms loosely. Wally looked at him, a little taken aback by the change in attitude from his last memory of the man.

"Um…" Wally's eyes flicked to M'Gann to see her smiling, seemingly amused by his confusion. "Good I suppose." He wasn't actually sure, but he felt better than he had before.

"Good." Michael raised a fist and Wally thought he was going to strike him for a moment before a flash of blue light covered his body. His eyes snapped closed, but a moment later the light was gone and Michael was looking down at his hand. He spoke again as Wally blinked, trying to clear the light spots from his vision. "Your metabolism has slowed to normal. Well, normal for you anyway. It seems you've had a 35% increase in muscle density and your brain waves synapses are firing twice as fast as usual." When he looked up his gaze glossed over Wally and turned to M'Gann. "We broadcast in five." He gave her a curt nod before leaving the room.

M'Gann turned to Wally with a small smile on her face. "Do you think you can walk?" She asked.

Wally nodded and started to get out of the bed, but stopped. "Um…where are my clothes?"

M'Gann's mouth fell open and she turned away scandalized. "Oh I'll just um…" She shuffled over to a chair where a set of clothes laid in another chair. It wasn't his uniform, but what looked to be something akin to military fatigues and boots. She levitated the bundle over to him and turned to the door. "I'll leave you to it." Stepping out of the room, she let the door swing closed behind her.

Wally blushed, his face turning nearly the color of his hair as grabbed the clothes and got dressed as quickly as he could manage, but found moving was a struggle. He had to clench his teeth when pulling the IV out of his hand, finding the sensation incredibly unpleasant. With the laces on his boots tied, he braced his hands on the mattress and started to push himself up. He stood there shakily for a moment before taking a step. Thankfully he hadn't taken his hand off the bed, allowing him some support as he started to fall, saving him from a meeting with the floor. With a defeated groan he looked at his feet. "M'Gann?"

The door opened slowly and M'Gann peaked in looking every bit as shy as she had so many years ago. "Ready?"

"Yeah, but…" Wally sighed again then took another step, this time losing his balance completely. The floor rushed up to him, but he never collided, feeling the solid support of M'Gann's mind holding him. "I think I need some help."

"Let's do this together, okay?" M'Gann turned her hand to right him, then grabbed his, levitating him just slightly off the floor. Despite having asked for the help, Wally still grumbled to himself as they began floating down the hallway.

Wally was surprised at the number of people he saw milling around as they went. In addition to the two guards that had stood by his door, there were many more armed people dressed in what looked like standard military gear. Mixed among them were others who appeared to be civilians, though some of them looked to be wearing military knock offs. At the end of the hall a star well dipped downwards.

"Where are we?" Wally finally asked, turning to look at M'Gann.

"It's the San Francisco subway station. It wasn't a public area, just for holding the trains and repairing them. Maintenance things like that." At the bottom of the stairs, the corridor opened into a larger room, filled to the brim with armed men and weapons. Wally's eyes widened as he looked around the room counting at least twenty men, massive piles of sand bags, large caliber weapons, and to his great surprise, a few rocket launchers. But what shocked him most was the enormous door at the far end of the room. It filled a space that seemed much smaller than what it required, leading him to believe it was not part of the original architecture. As they neared the door, a few soldiers saluted Miss Martian then began opening the door. It series of loud grinding noises told him there were innumerable locks being opened. Whatever was behind that door was clearly important.

The door opened, sending a rush of key clicks and radio signals rushing into Wally's ears. Huge collections of cables spread across the room, connecting rows of computers and machines varying in shape and size. More people were clustered around the room, typing on keyboards and speaking into microphones. Maps were plastered along the walls, some of them depicting the city, and others different countries around the world. Symbols he didn't understand or recognize were drawn on them. A few small doors set into the wall lead into rooms he couldn't fathom. An inner ring of desks holding computers was broken by a short stair well forming a cross roads in the middle leading down into a lower level where a large digital clock was suspended by thick ropy cables that reached up to the ceiling. Gauging by the numbers it displayed, Wally guessed it was showing several time zones. Beneath the clock a long wooden table stood with three figures clustered around it. The first Wally didn't recognize, but he was dressed in the same garb as the guards he and M'Gann had past outside. Next to him stood the hulking figure of Devastation.

_It's alright. She's on our side._ M'Gann thought to Wally anticipating the worry that was already forming a pit in his stomach.

_What side? Who are they fighting? _Wally thought back, remembering the creatures and flying tank from before.

_Later. I promise. But right now, we need to focus on finding out how you got here. _

Wally nodded, a little surprised that he hadn't considered it more himself. Making a jump 47 years into the future wasn't exactly a normal occurrence. The last thing he remembered was running, then he'd woken up in the snow. He was pulled from his musings when he noticed Michael standing at the table, looking up at the clock. From there he gazed around the room, catching sight of the pair, then waved to them, motioning for them to wait where they were. Leaning forward on the table, he pressed a button on a large microphone.

"T-minus thirty seconds on link. Start the count down. I need confirmation on all systems." Michael looked up to the outermost ring of the room. An automated voice began counting backwards from thirty.

"Perimeter is a go." A voice called out.

"Air space is a go, sir."

"Encryption and data is a go."

"Communication and Transmission is a go."

"Analysis is a go." The calls had circled around the room, Michael nodding confirmation after each.

"Then we are a go for link up." Michael leaned away from the microphone as the voice reached five.

"5…4…3…2…1…Link."

San Francisco, Resistance HQ

May 14 21:23 PDT

2063

Wally looked around the room as the lights dimmed around the room. On the farthest wall a green glow began to appear, replaced by the face of an old woman. She was smiling, but with an unmistakable air of menace.

"Greetings servants to the Dread Lord of Apokolips, your god." Michael rolled his eyes and sighed.

"I've heard enough. Mute it and start the transfers." The woman's voice cut out as the speakers were muted, though the face remained on screen. "Analysis, what's the record for her normal rambling?" He called out turning to the desk he was addressing. Two people stood there, one typing, the other holding a long list in one hand and a headset in the other.

"The average is a four minutes twenty-three seconds sir, though the record is over six minutes."

"Keep on it then. Use the emergency cut off if it looks like she's going to end early, but we have to time this right. We lost valuable comm time last week."

Finding himself unwilling to break the following silence, Wally thought it would be best not to speak. Instead he cleared his mental throat.

_So can I know what's going on now? It's obviously something._

_We can only transmit to the other bases during the enemy public broadcasts. These things go worldwide._ M'Gann replied. Wally nodded, noting that his worst fear had just been confirmed. _We interlace the signals so they can't detect it, but if we don't shut it off when they do, we risk being traced._

_If that's the case, wouldn't they have figured out when you're doing this by now? It doesn't look like they've caught you yet. Whoever they is._

_They only thing they're concerned about is making people listen. Any servants or slaves who don't listen to the lord's broadcasts are excecuted._

"Slaves?" Wally was so surprised the word fell from his mouth before he realized he'd even spoken. He clapped a hand over his mouth as if trying to hold back the sound that had already escaped. A few people around the room turned to look at the source of the sound. "Sorry." Wally whispered. A few of them rolled their eyes.

"Data, how are we doing?" Michael's voice drew the attention away from Wally's surprise outburst.

"Download is good." The tech sitting at the computer pressed a few buttons staring at the screen in front of him intently. "We have enough signal for a visual, but only with the American bases. The cloud cover is too thick elsewhere."

"Get in touch with Gotham HQ." Michael ordered. A few moments later, the image of the old woman frayed and was replaced, by a man wearing a cowl. Static crossed the screen every few seconds obscuring the picture. When Michael spoke again his manner was much more leisurely than Wally had expected. "How are things Bats?"

"We don't have time for pleasantries, Blue. What do you want?" The gruff voice and demanding mannerisms were just as Wally remembered, but in the back of his mind he knew this couldn't possibly be the same Batman. It had been far too long for the man he knew to look so young still. He started to take a step forward, but was stopped by M'Gann's hand on his shoulder and slight shake of her head.

"I know you know already, Bats. You always do. I sent you the message after all. I want to hear your theories on the matter."

Batman's face remained stoic and emotionless. "If your claims are true he could be useful for future operations. As for how it happened… I've been studying everything relevant, but without more data, theories are all I have. You should have received the files I sent."

"Alright then Wayne. We'll report back with updates when we can." With Michael's words the image cut out once more leaving every screen around the room black.

"I'm sorry sir." The data tech called out. "I had to cut transmission." Michael sighed and shook his head.

"It's alright soldier. It had to be done." He turned around to face the data tech. "What's our data transfer percentage?"

"100% primary, 61% secondary sir." The tech replied quickly.

"Send the information to my station." Michael ordered pushing away from the table. He started up one set of stairs. "Night shift is on stand. Weisman, you're in command, Devastation you are dismissed until O'800 for recon. Miss Morse, bring Mr. West to my office tomorrow morning." Michael called the orders over his shoulder as he walked out of the room. "By then, we should have some answers."

Gotham City, Bat Cave

May 15, 00:37 EDT

2063

The cave was one thing that hadn't changed over the years. Darkness dominated every damp corner of the room. Cold water dripped from the craggy ceiling and pooled in dips of the walls and floor. Old uniforms in glass cases lined one wall that stood next to the old stair well. It had once lead up into Wayne Manor, but was now littered with rubble where it had caved in. No one seemed to care anymore. Not the bats that clung to the ceiling or the man who sat in front of the computer. He pushed away from it for a moment, knowing his own mind could work faster than the machine.

As he thought, two scenarios entered his mind. Only two, but it was all he needed. Either one could change the world, but he needed to know more.

"Computer, access restricted files on Kid Flash." He spoke suddenly, his commanding voice echoing around the room.

An automated voice spoke back. "Accessing restricted files. Level Five clearance required. Please identify yourself and provide access code."

"Damian Wayne. Access code R.O.B.I.N. 04."

"Access granted. Opening files on Kid Flash. Identification number B03. Secret Identity, Wally West." A stream of pictures flowed across the monitor before him. Thumbnails of video footage scrolled by with lists of statistics and time stamps. He sat back in his chair, one hand coming to rest under his chin, each piece of information that crossed the screen driving him closer to making a decision.

San Francisco, Resistance HQ

May 15 08:30 PDT

2063

M'Gann stood at the door of Wally's room, her hands clasped in front of her. She stared down at herself, finding a strange comfort in the familiarity of her paler skin. The usual green hue seemed to unnerve some of the humans around the base, so she'd taken to walking around this way instead. Though the color of her skin had changed, the scar marring one side of her face was still there. Her black and red uniform morphed into rather plain looking military fatigues, the same as the ones she'd given Wally the night before. With the thought at the forefront of her mind, M'Gann turned and looked at the door, only able to imagine what Wally's night had been like.

After everything he'd learned, she doubted he would have been able to sleep. Knowing the speedster like she did, it was far more likely his mind had kept him up most of the night, agonizing over how any of this could be possible, and more importantly how it had happened. The door swung open, revealing Wally dressed as he had been before. His fiery hair was sticking up in all directions like he'd run his fingers through it too many times.

"Morning." He said covering his mouth to stifle a yawn. M'Gann couldn't help but smile at her friend.

"Come on. We're already late." She motioned for him to follow her, down the same hallway, passing two new guards every so often. As they walked she felt herself gravitating closer to Wally. With each person they walked by, she felt more and more anxious, finally reaching out to grab his hand as if fearing anyone of them would tear him away again. Wally looked at her, surprise evident on his face, but he didn't pull away. He seemed to need the contact as much as she did. She led him down the same set of stairs, through the giant doors, and into the command center. It was much louder now, just as full of people as it had been before, this time none of them checking their volume. Walking around the outer ring of desks and dodging people as they walked past, they approached one of the small side doors. M'Gann lifted one hand and rapped her knuckles against the metal.

"Come in." The voice was quiet, but even muffled through the door she could tell it was only Michael inside the room. Grasping the door handle she pulled in open, letting Wally walk in to the small office ahead of her. Michael's office was surprisingly cluttered for a military man. Stacks upon stacks of paper covered his desk, only allowing one to guess at what the piece of furniture really looked like. Paint was chipping off the walls, the farthest one adorned with a large map of the world. Michael was standing behind the desk facing it; countless red pins were stuck to it. As the two of them entered the room, he turned to face them, his grim expression morphing into a smile.

"Ah, you're here. Have a seat." Michael said pleasantly gesturing to the chairs in front of the desk. Wally hesitated, only sitting when M'Gann already had. Michael crossed his arms casually, looking away from M'Gann to address Wally. "How are you feeling, kid?"

"Alright for the moment, I think." Wally replied, one hand rubbing his ribs absentmindedly.

Michael noticed the movement and nodded his head at Wally's chest. "You shouldn't have to worry about that now. We don't think you'll be having another of those attacks any time soon."

"Well that's good since I wasn't really looking forward to-" Wally paused and looked up at Michael. M'Gann recognized the mixed look of perplexity and suspicion on his face as he raised one eyebrow. "How do you figure that?

"Well, we've got a lot of theories about you, Wally. Most of them are about how you got here, but we think that might be what's causing them." Michael sat in his chair and reached under the desk. There was a quiet click as if he'd pressed a button and the lighting the room began to dim. M'Gann couldn't help but smile to herself as Wally looked around with wide eyes. She knew what was coming next, so the smile quickly fell from her face as Michael reached into one drawer of the desk, pulling out a shiny metallic disk and laying it on the desk in front of Wally. "This is just a little something we've managed to put together."

"What is-" Wally's question was cut off as the disk lit up, a column of light building up from the disk. The light began to swirl, forming a tornado like whirlwind of energy; he watched it with rapt fascination. It looked so familiar, but his mind couldn't quite place the sight.

"This is all of the data we managed to collect and save. Everything salvageable from the Leagues computers, readings from the bioship, and most importantly, Blue Beetles scans of the vortex."

"You mean this is the-"

"Yes." Michael said nodding cutting Wally off again. "The Reach almost destroyed the planet with this thing nearly fifty years ago. And these," He reached out one hand and tapped the disk. The image shifted to the base of the vortex where three red blurs were interlaced with it. "are you, Impulse, and The Flash."

Wally's eyes widened as he leaned forward, watching the little blurs move. "I didn't realize it was that big." It sounded stupid, but it was all he could say.

Michael waited a moment, sitting down and lacing his fingers together on top of the desk. "Now, can you remember what happened?"

Wally's eye flicked around the room, to the map, at M'Gann sitting next to him, then down at his hands, missing the small smile she offered him, then the concern becoming evident in her eyes. "I was running and… the vortex was…It kept zapping me, like it had its own lightning. I heard someone saying it was using me for some kind of energy release then…I said good-bye." Wally lifted one hand and stared at it. It trembled a little as he remembered seeing himself beginning to disappear, the look on Uncle Barry's face, and thinking he'd never get to see Artemis again. He clenched his hand into a fist to stop the thoughts and the shaking. "I woke up half naked in the North Pole apparently forty-seven years in the future."

"You spoke with Flash over your radio." Michael said, making Wally raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"No. Face to face in the vortex." Wally replied, looking over at M'Gann for a moment. "Why is that important?"

Michael just blinked at him. "The reports say the three of you had to run at your top speeds to dissipate the vortex." He looked down at piece of paper, seeming to check his facts.

"Yeah, so?" Wally exclaimed getting frustrated. "Just tell me what happened."

"Wally….how were you able to talk to someone face to face who should have been lapping you?" Michael asked slowly.

"I don't know. They were trying to slow down, to help me." Wally said his face going blank.

"The Flash's top speed is nearly light speed correct?" Michael didn't wait for a response before tapping the disk again. This time a blue stream of energy appeared, circling the base of the vortex. "That is the last thing any of the Leagues sensors picked up before they lost you. It's an energy burst, much more powerful than anything The Flash or Impulse were generating."

Wally just shook his head. "What does that mean?"

"It means, Wally, that you were running faster than the speed of light." Michael leaned back in his chair crossing his arms over his chest. "That's how you got here."

Wally's mouth fell open and M'Gann leaned forward in her seat. "What? I don't understand." She said looking at Wally. Apparently he didn't either, even with everything he knew about science. That or he was simply speechless.

Looking at Wally for just a moment, Michael turned to M'Gann. "The vortex was using Wally as a conduit to release energy. Wally was being 'zapped' by the equivalent of the entire Earth's magnetic field. The best we can figure, is all of that extra energy reacted with his meta genes, and amplified what was already there. It's like a nitrous oxide boost on an already fast car, except…more. Wally was running faster than the speed of light, that's why he disappeared. And, according to Wally's statement, why he showed up unclothed. Basically they lagged behind and disintegrated."

Wally slumped in his chair, almost sliding to the floor. _It makes perfect sense._ M'Gann heard the thought, still connected to him.

"But how did he end up here? I mean it's been _forty-seven years._"

"It's Light Speed Theory." Wally said quietly, not moving except for his eyes flicking up to Michael.

M'Gann looked between the two of them, still confused. "What does that mean?"

Michael looked away from Wally and sighed. "It's a scientific belief that anything that can travel above the speed of light, could potentially travel forward in time. No one could ever test it because the amount of energy required for that compared to the size of the object…" Michael stopped talking for a moment to calm himself. "Anyway, there have been developments like hyperdrive engines that can make things travel great distances in very little time, but they don't reach light speed. If they did, they would experience a time differential. A few seconds to the traveler could be weeks, month, even years to the rest of us like it was for Wally. He stopped now, most likely because the energy keeping him going forward…essentially ran out." Michael lifted a hand and gestured to Wally, his mouth curving into a frown. M'Gann blinked confused, then turned to look at Wally. He was leaning forward with his head in his hands, elbows propped up on his knees.

"Wally." She leaned over and put a hand on his shoulder. With a soft sigh, she looked up at Michael. "Can we send him back? Maybe we could change this time line!"

Michael was already shaking is head. "I'm sorry. As far as we know, that kind of time travel is a one way street. If he got up to that speed again, he would just go farther forward."

Wally lifted his head from his hands suddenly. "So running backwards won't help?" He let out a dismayed chuckled. "I'm stuck here."

"Wally…" M'Gann couldn't think of what else to say so she just patted his shoulder.

"Got any good news?" Wally asked through his hands.

"Well, your abilities are most likely permanently amplified." Michael replied tapping the disk twice. A glowing human form appeared, waves seeming to flow off of it every few seconds. "The energy left a mark on you. Every cell in your body is supercharged and doesn't seem to be dissipating. That's what was causing the pain. You're just like a teenager having an extremely rapid growth spurt. They're leveling out now, so it should stop."

Wally sighed and sat up straighter, sighing heavily. "Well that's good then. But tell me something now. Who are we fighting?"

San Francisco, Resistance HQ

May 15 08:50 PDT

2063

Michael sighed heavily, watching as yet another young person was dragged into the war. "They have a lot of names, and come in many different forms, but they all come from Apokolips. And they all answer to Darkseid." He turned in his chair and pressed up button on the computer behind him. An image appeared on the screen. The man in the picture would have looked almost human, if not for the exaggerated features of his face. The muscles in his neck bulged, the scowl on his face looking as if it were etched in stone. Narrowed eyes glowed a fiery red and orange, with no pupil present.

Wally leaned forward to get a better look. He'd heard of Apokolips, but never Darkseid. "What's so special about this guy?"

"He's a self-proclaimed god. The epitome of evil, with one goal in life. He wasn't to rule all life in the universe, and so far, he's doing a pretty good job of it. Hundreds of star systems, thousands of worlds, and everything on them have fallen to him. We have no data on him. He could have powers or abilities of some kind, but every time anyone gets close to him, they never come back. His base is on Apokolips, but his lesser minions run things around here. That's who we're fighting." Michael pressed another button, bringing up three more images.

The first was a man dressed in orange, wearing massive metal shoulder pads that served as armor. Belts with more pouches than Wally could count at the moment we circled around his waist and shoulders. In one hand he held the largest battle axe Wally had ever seen. The next reminded Wally of a nutcracker; the man was wearing an old fashioned looking military dress uniform. It was dark red and black, a gold sash across the front. A monocle was covering the man's right eye, the light glow of it a startling contrast to the mop of black hair on his head. The third image was a still of the face from the broadcast the night before. White fly-away hair billowed out from a pale wrinkled face. The woman's neck was covered by the clasp of a green cloak that flowed down into the rest of her similarly colored clothing.

"These are the big three, Lord Steppenwolf, Virman Vundabar, and Granny Goodness." Michael gestured to the three as he said there names, pausing to turn around and look at Wally. He had one hand clapped over his mouth trying to hold back laughter, but letting out a snort. "Don't take her lightly West. She is responsible for the brainwash and torture of thousands of people on Earth alone, not to mention the damage she's done on other planets. These people are evil."

Wally nodded, finding himself sobered by his words.

Michael turned back to the screen and continued. A group of images appeared, collected on the screen like a family tree of sorts. "Below them are the rest of the Elite. They are Darkseid's personal guard, I guess you could say. The rest of them form the military. They have some of the most advanced weaponry we've ever seen." Imaged began to scroll across the screen, Michael naming each one as it past, giving Wally just enough time to see them. "There are hover tanks, you saw one of those, dragon tanks, dreadnaughts, Hell Hounds, then we have the infantry units. Parademons." The images stopped on a picture of one of the clawed monsters. "These are what attacked you and Devastation."

"I remember that part." Wally said nodding. "So how did this happen? They couldn't have just come in and said 'We're in charge now'."

Michael turned to M'Gann and gave her a nod. She nodded back, before closing her eyes and taking a breath. When she opened them again they were glowing bright green once more. Wally blinked rapidly as a flash of white enveloped him again and he was suddenly standing in the Watchtower.

"Wha-" He turned in a circle, looking out the large windows at the black atmosphere dotted with stars, then the zeta tubes on the far side of the room. Superboy and Aqualad were standing just next to him, making him gasp, before his mind caught up with his eyes. "It's just a memory." He said flatly.

M'Gann nodded and sighed. "It wasn't long after you…left. The league was struggling to keep the world calm. After everything that happened with The Reach, the idea that other aliens might be hostile was running rampant. Almost everyone was preparing for an all-out interplanetary war with…anyone. Then they arrived." A second flash of light bloomed outside the Watchtower. An enormous red and black hole was opening.

"Is that a boom tube?" Wally took a step towards the window, watching in horror as The War World exited the hole, followed by a fleet of space craft. They moved towards the Earth like a swarm of bees. The zeta tubes announced the arrival of a few members of the league, Black Canary running to one of the computers with Green Arrow close behind her.

"By the time we knew what was happening, it was too late." M'Gann continued. A small group of ships cut off from the group, heading straight for the Watchtower, red lasers already firing. Wally's heart rate accelerated and he started breathing hard as green beams of light came into view destroying the closing ships. A few green lanterns flew into view from the window, aiming for the rest of the fleet. "We did our best, but we were overwhelmed."

Wally turned in a circle watching the images on the screen in front of Black Canary. The Lanterns were approaching the War World. As they neared it, a cluster of small blips appeared, branching out from the planet headed straight for them. Some of the blips vanished, the missiles destroyed by whatever the Lanterns had done, but each one was replaced by another. Slowly they multiplied and were joined by a few ships. The fight was short, ships and missiles overtaken by green manifestations until, a few minutes later they fizzled out and vanished, leaving the screen covered in nothing but static, all signs of the missiles and Lanterns gone. The members of the League standing around the room exchanged glances, most of them registering nothing but shock and sadness at what had just happened. They didn't have long to take it in when another round of missiles began to rain down on the Watchtower, making the entire structure shake as they exploded on impact. Out the window, Wally could see another round of missiles rocketing towards Earth.

He didn't have long to stare before a section of the wall shot into the room, plumes of fire and black smoke billowing out of the hole. It spread through the room, the temperature inside beginning to rise; smoke clogged the air, choking everyone. Cracks appeared in the ceiling, running across the room; chunks of metal fell from the ceiling as it elongated, shattering the overhead lights and raining glass down on the heroes. On instinct, Wally raised his hands to shield his head, but the glass simply passed through him. As he ducked he spotted the wall panel lying on top of Black Canary, scorch marks covering one side of it. She was pinned under the massive sheet of metal, Green Arrow trying to lift it away from her without success.

A younger looking M'Gann lifted into the air, her eyes glowing green until a wall of fire built up next to her. She backed away from it and wavered in the air before falling, landing limply in Conner's arms. He knelt down, laying her gently on the ground. Her eyes opened and she stared up at the ceiling, blinking blearily.

"M'Gann!" Conner patted her cheek trying to revive her as Kaldur ran past him, doing his best to help Green Arrow lift the panel, obviously weakening in the heat himself. Wally turned in another circle following Black Lightning as he ran to one of the computer bays, frantically typing commands. An erratic wailing alarm made everyone turn to face the windows.

Hovering menacingly just outside, was a large streamlined black ship. It looked made for destruction, the end of one protruding piece beginning to glow red. Even inside the Watchtower, the air around them felt charged with energy, practically crackling as they breathed. The glowing point began to grow, the brightness of the red light slowly becoming blinding. Conner stood up with M'Gann in his arms, and turned towards the zeta tube. As the light grew brighter, another burst of fire erupted into the room, knocking Conner from his feet, sending M'Gann flying into the closest zeta tube. Pushing herself up onto her hands, she looked out, her eyes meeting his for a brief moment before the clashing of lights left her blind. The whirring of the zeta tube blended with the voracious roar of an explosion, flaming pieces of metal trailing after M'Gann as she screamed.

Wally blinked open his eyes, finding himself seated safely in Michael's office once more. He was gripping the arm rests of chair so hard his hands had begun to ache. Forcing himself to let go, he looked over at M'Gann noticing the tears streaming down her cheeks. She was deadly silent, her lip not even trembling as she cried. Without a word, Wally stood up and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, which she seemed to accept, leaning into his chest. When he looked over at Michael, he found the man standing again, just to the side of M'Gann's chair.

"After that, everything fell into chaos." He reached out one hand and set it on M'Gann's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She turned her head just slightly to look up at him, his expression questioning. Wally just felt the slight motion of her nod before he was swept up into a new scene.

This time they were on Earth. The sky was brightly lit by sunshine, clear and cloudless. It would have been quite peaceful except for the innumerable space craft weaving between the buildings and the parademons firing their weapons without a second thought regarding their targets. Bringing his gaze down to ground level, Wally watched as it changed, but the attackers remained. With each change, a new landmark greeted him.

"It…happened all at once?" He guessed. "All over the world." He nearly gasped as the scene changed, this time under water. Nearby a squad of Atlanteans were fighting of aquatic looking parademons, but even they began to fall back, the city slowly falling to its attackers.

"Earth's newest military units were already compromised by The Light at this point. They were disabled the moment the War World appeared. We lost them within minutes. The bases became boom tube stations and landing areas for the Apokoliptians. It took less than seventy-two hours. 67.96% of the world's population was captured, 32% killed where they stood."

Wally listened to this, quietly staring at nothing. He frowned then, seeing a problem with the numbers. "What happened to the other .4%?"

"That .4% is what you see here. It's us. Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, civilians, heroes, former villains, all working together to fight back."

Wally just nodded and relaxed, resting his chin on M'Gann's shoulder. "How many members of the League survived?" He almost flinched as M'Gann's grip on him tightened.

"Not many." Michael replied on a sigh. "It's been a long time."

"I take it The Light's plan didn't go well then."

"Not at all." Michael waited a moment, then the scene shifted around them once more. High above them, the War World hovered ominously. "We aren't sure exactly what their plan was, but what we gathered from Devastation and a few others, was they would control the Earth, but ally with Darkseid. The War World was to act as the binding for the agreement. But Darkseid had other ideas." He nodded his head up at the sky.

Wally arched his neck, looking up. Streams of light were flowing out around the artificial planet, thousands of smaller ships floating around it. The light turned red, then black, and it was gone, until a moment later when a short flash of light bloomed out from the sun. "What did they just do?"

"Half of the Apokoliptian fleet, boom tubed with it straight into the sun." Michael said crossing his arms. "And took the ace out of the Light's hand."

"They destroyed half of their own fleet?" Wally exclaimed.

"For them, the numbers weren't a huge lost. All the ships were manned by skeletons crews, most of their forces were already on Earth. After that, the Light didn't live long to regret their mistakes." Another flash of light brought them back to Michael's office.

"And…"

"And we've been at war ever since." He said turning away and sitting down.

Taking all the information in, his mind slowly processing, Wally barely moved, counting the minutes as he sat there clinging to M'Gann. "How long?"

"Hm?" Michael raised an eyebrow at the question.

"How long since I…jumped did this all happen?"

"The Watchtower's sensors picked up the first of the boom tube readings at midnight, on the first of January, 2017. Heck of a way to kick off the New Year."


	6. Test

**Story by Darksuperboy**

**Written by andiree (posted here with her permission.)**

* * *

August 12th

18:16 PM

Watch Tower

Blue Beetle stands, monitoring the computer screens. The Zeta Tube flashes in activation.

The computer's programmed voice announces, "Recognise Kid Flash, b two three." Bart zips to Blue Beetle's side, grinning. His smile never seems to fade.

"Hey Blue, what's happening?" he asked his familiar energetic tone. "How come you bailed on our patrol. That's so not crash, dude." Blue doesn't move his gaze away from the computer screen. He moves one aside, enlarging another in the process.

"I didn't bail," Blue replies. "I switched shifts with Static for monitor duty-" He pauses, looking over his shoulder at Bart. "-who you should be with right now."

"But he's so slow," Bart whines. The sound resembles a kid who wants a better toy from the store window. "Not like you and your jet propelled backpack."

Blue mutters questionably, "Thought he met someone who did..."

Bart persists to nag his best friend. "Come on dude, you haven't done patrol in ages."

The scarab speaks in Blue's head-the programmed mindset that always counters his own. "The new Kid Flash is right, Jamie Reyes. Since our encounter with the alien oversight committee, you have been reluctant to patrol with fellow members of your team for 8 days, 1 hour 18 minutes and-"

"Alright, I get it," Blue snaps at the scarab, cutting off its sentence. He turns to Bart, who had not been included in this mind-bound conversation. "Look, I just don't want to go out right now. You've seen what people are like right now. They're terrified," he sighs, "and if me staying here helps them feel safe then that's exactly what I'm going to do." The memories of the fear he stirred after the Reach Invasion still haunted him: the questions, the angry cries, the countless people wanting him gone. Blue looks down, and turns back to the computer.

"Fine, your choice." Bart walks back to the Zeta, but turns back and looks at his best friend. "But how safe are they if there's no one there to save them?" Blue Beetle is left alone with those words, angry with himself, as Bart fades back into the Zeta Tube.

August 13th

09:30AM

Watch Tower

Three teenagers-Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Robin-stand together, awaiting their assignment. Wonder Girl and Robin skipped class-not that anything in school would be thrilling. Everybody was either catching up on work or sleeping, and the two have better and more important things to be doing. The rest of the team had already been assigned missions and deployed. Starfire had quickly been welcomed to the team after the AOC. She, Supergirl and Miss Martian had been deployed to the San Francisco earthquake.

Aqualad enters the room and brings up a screen.

"Good morning. Beta assignment for today will be a simple one, but never the less important." He looks among the three team members. "The AOC has been funding the development of a new combat exo-suit to challenge the threat of another alien incursion. Today the programs first prototype will be doing a live exercise at the star labs for officials to demonstrate its abilities to receive funding for mass production. Since the suit is state of the art military technology it is a tempting target for those wishing to acquire said technology for use in evil purposes or to sell on the black market."

"Guarding a tin can doesn't sound too hard," Conner said with a smirk.

"You will also be accessing the suit capabilities and structural design in case it poses a threat to humanity," Aqualad added.

Cassandra crosses her arms. "Why? Shouldn't we know already?"

"The league has not been given access to that information yet, due to the AOC refusal. However, Star Labs has requested additional security for this display to which we have agreed. Superboy," Aqualad says, turning to him, "you, wolf and supercycle will monitor the test from the air. Wonder Girl and Robin will ensure security within the facility undercover as guests."

Conner is the only one to notice Robin's reaction to this assignment, taking note of the slight increase of heart-rate. He cannot help but smile.

A few second go by before anybody chooses to do anything. The audience, staff and Sergeant just stare at the four women standing at the edge of the room. The one furthest to the right wears an outfit completely of white: corset and loin cloth, boots and shoulder pads. Her skin was a rich tan, and she had long blonde hair. She holds a sword in each hand. Next to her another stands, with metal breast cups and skin-tight black pants. Three strips of metal stretch horizontally over her face, while other bands wrap her arms. She wears her dark black hair in a high ponytail, and carries a long rope with a razor disc on the end. A woman with bright green hair stands beside her, a chaotic smile on her lips. Similarly to the first, she wore a gray corset and loin cloth. Layered metal covers her forearms, and a silver band rests on her hairline. To the furthest left, the manliest of the women stands, clad in red and yellow armor. Her dark black hair was tied in a ponytail, and her face holds all of the emotion of a rock.

All of a sudden, the red alarm lights and blaring sirens spurred to life. Somebody must have gotten over the shock of the situation and decided to make a move. A scream is heard from the female members of the audience, and there is a mad rush to the doors. Robin is now able to use [coms?] without being overheard. He quickly pulled Cassie to the corner as people crammed and shoved their way through the doors.

"Superboy," Tim whispered urgently into his earpiece, "we have trouble down here." The four women advance on the exo-suit, which was standing firm. You couldn't see the face due to the helmet, but his body language sent the message of intimidation. Someone else must have thought this was a bit one-sided, for threes cannons-similar to those used in the test-descend from the ceiling and point at the intruders. However, the women continue to move forward, complete unphased.

"Hold or you will be fired upon," the sergeant orders.

The largest of the women steps forward from her group, and two cannons fire a her immediately. The projectiles connect to her outraged hands, and the impact makes the woman slide back a few meters. Yet, no real harm had come to the woman. She then returns the balls to their cannons, throwing them with mighty force.

The suit fires his sonic waves, pounding the woman in the chest and sending her flying across the room. She hits the wall with great force. The woman with clawed hands leaps forward, swiping her fists at the suit. She nimbly dodges the pilot's legs, throwing out an electric cord. It wraps itself around the suit, sending shocks through it before it is pulled down into the denting floor. This is the last thing Tim sees before he and Cassie are ushered out of the auditorium by guarding officers.

The Sergeant is fighting, though it is very one sided; every time he would block an attack from one of the women, two more would take her place. The suit's helmet HUD shows the pilot that the automated weapon in the testing area is quickly being dispatched.

After dodging another bladed swipe at his head, the battle is temporarily distracted as a large chunk of wall is blown away. A strong force comes from the outside. Through the dust covered haze a large, red, three-wheeled motorbike shoots into the room and turns to face the group of women. The driver wears the shield of Superman and is accompanied by a bear-sized wolf.

"You ladies might want to think about surrendering," Superboy calls. Cannons pop out from the side of the bike. There is no words in the women's response; instead, the clawed one runs up behind the largest woman, jumps onto her shoulders, pushes off and leaps toward the bike. Wolf jumps off of Cycle to tackle the girl, the two colliding mid air and falling to the ground in a heap of teeth and claws. Super Cycle opens fire, tracking one of the females, but she is too quick. The largest woman, now free, does a super-human leap, tackling the bike and forcing it to collide with the wall.

Superboy dismounts from the collision, and lands hard on the floor. He just barely rolls out of the way before Super Cycle crashes to the ground, nearly landing on top of him. Pushing himself up, he spots the blonde woman and the one with the electric whip advancing on him.

"Could use a little back up here, team," Conner says.

Tim and Cassie, after ditching the panicked crowd, are now dressed in uniform. You'd be surprised at what the protégées of Wonder Woman and Batman can slip past security. Now, they run down the corridor to join Superboy. Tim and Cassie look at eachother and smile.

Tim presses his hand to his ear, and responds, "On our way."

August 13th

14:47PM

MDT

Star Labs

Police cars and fire engines, multitudes of other vehicles, surround Star Labs. The press is being kept back, cameras still record the loud bang inside the building as it shakes.

Inside the performance area, there is nothing more than rubble. The fight still ensues: Superboy being electrocuted by the cord around his neck, wolf bloody and limping as he growls at the clawed female, Super Cycle back in sphere-mode as she is hammered into the ground. Pilot is now battling the blonde with the blades, but he is unable to land a blow due to her level of skill. Her blades, too, are able to resist the blows given by the suit-an alien metal, perhaps. The blonde parries a two bladed thrust, then roundhouse kicks the suit's helmet with her armor boot. Her foot pushes the head into the near wall, forming a large dent. The suit falls backwards as the pilot is stunned. In a swirl of blonde hair, the woman turns to face Superboy, who is still struggling to pull free of the whip. His opponent pulls out a small danger and makes a perfect throw at the kryptonian's throat.

From the sidelines, a red and black bladed weapon flies through the air and connects with the blade, knocking it off course. A series of capsules land and explode near the large woman's feet, expanding into foam and trapping her as it solidifies. Robin steps forward from the room's main entrance. Wonder Girl flies over him, tackling the whip and woman who wielded it. Superboy struggles free and jumps back into action.

"Sorry we're late," Robin shouted over the noise. "Took a while to hack around the lockdown."

The conversation is halted as the blonde woman attacks him with her blades. Robin somersaults over her, and draws his staff, sweeping away his attacker's legs from under her. Superboy continues to battle the girl with the whip, now more cautious of her strength. Wonder Girl soars above, swooping down on the green haired woman.

Both sides of fight are completely committed and no is no signs of stopping. Superboy continues to pound at the women, but to no avail. Wolf is thrown across the room and hits the wall hard. He lets out a ferocious growl, but the woman just grins. The room's windows blow out and the armored doors reopen. US troops pour through the open doorway, surrounding the fighters with their weapons aimed. One lone soldier stands out from the uniform line, a megaphone in hand. The alien women take note of the new threat and change in power balance. The fighting group hold their attacks, but maintain their combat stance.

"I am General Wade Eiling, representing the armed forces of the United States f America. You are ordered to lay down your weapons and surrender." The heroes slowly back away from the four. Once at the line of soldiers, the three heroes face the aliens. The blonde turns to face the general, marking herself as leader.

"Your world is lost," she tells him. "Our lord and master comes to claim it."

Suddenly, a boom tune opens beneath their feet, swallowing the smiling aliens. Bullets are fast enough to catch them, and instead leave their impact on the now empty floor.

August 13th

20:47 EST

MDT

WASHINGTON DC

On the set, Gordon stands as pictures of lab rooms and destruction show behind him. His show is one of the most popular, especially with the current news on aliens and the controversial debate on whether they are friends or enemies. He stands center stage, looking out at his curious audience.

"So there we have it ladies and gentlemen: proof that there still are alien races out there that intend to do us harm." The image behind Gordon changes into another: it depicted Starfire lifting a bus. "Sure there are those who we have met that say they want to help us, but are they telling the truth?

"Earth needs to protect itself from the horrors that may unleash upon use from the stars," Gordan continues, "without having to rely on the unreliable members of the Justice League who have failed to capture these alien perpetrators. You need not worry, my friends. Fortunately, today's attack has shown us the way to prevent this." The image behind him now shows the battle suit. Gordon gestures to the screen, grinning like a realtor to his clients. "With the earth's first line of defense against any more alien incursions: XTR is right now being put into mass production by Lex Corp, and being personally overseen by our good friend Lex Luther.

"No longer will Earth's fate be in the hands of non-ordinary men and women who think themselves above us, while literally _watching above us_ in the skies! No, our fate is now our own control, and I hope that knowledge helps you sleep better at night. I know it does for me."

The audience stands, clapping and cheering for their host. Gordon, pleased, bows for the crowd, and the lights fall away.

"And we're out," the camera man announces. A bell rings off in the distance while the "on air" light switches to "off". The audience starts general chatter as Gordon walks off the set. He is followed by words of adoring fans.

"We love you Gordan!"

"You the man Gordan!"

By the time he finally leaves the stage, Gordon is exhausted. He loosens his tie and rubs off the makeup on his face with a handkerchief. The stagehand follows behind him.

"Just a reminder," the stagehand says, clutching a clipboard. "You have a meeting with Mr. Luthor tomorrow at 9 as prep for the interview the following day." Gordan flashes the boy a smile-not for his help, but because the meeting was far from the discussion he had suggested.

"Thank you."

The stagehand nods. "Anything else sir?" he asks as the two approach Gordon's dressing room.

"Yes," Gordon answers. "Please make sure I am not disturbed for the next half hour." The stagehand nods again, and Gordan enters his room, closing the door behind him and locking it. He waits by the door, waiting the few seconds for the hand to walk away and down the corridor. Once he is alone, he walks over to his desk and opens the drawer. Searching underneath, he finally locates what he had been looking for. He pulls out the circular object, and places it on the desk; then he presses a few buttons. The machine beeps, showing no sign of detectable transmission or any present risk of within the area. Gordon presses the button again. Light shines from the object, emitting a hologram image of nothing-then a figure steps out of the darkness. He is thick and intimidating, standing nearly 3 feet over the show host. His skin is the color of stone-almost appearing to _be_ stone-and he wears dark blue clothing.

"My lord Darkseid," Gordon says, slightly bowing. "I am honored by your presence."

"As you should be," Darkseid replies, completely monotone. He glances around the room. "Did the day go well?"

"Precisely as you foresaw, my lord. The humans now build their own destruction."

"And what of our puppets?"

"Still think they are their own masters, my lord."

Darkseid rubs his him thoughtfully. "Good, good... Continue your work, my loyal general. Once the boom tube generators and master gate are complete, I will seize control of what I have proclaimed to be mine. This world will now before its god, and all who oppose me will be obliterated." His eyes glow red, his smile wide with confidence.

* * *

**Hello again! We've got a brand new writer on the team this week. andiree will be writing every other episode until further notice. **


	7. Loyalties

**Story by Darksuperboy**

**Written by me**

* * *

Washington DC

August 17

07:16 EDT

2016

The city was still somewhat quiet as the first rays of sunshine began to peek over the tops of the eastern most buildings. Houses built on the outskirts of town cast long shadows across the fields and groves of trees surrounding them. Birds resting in their branches took to the air with the first notes of the day's song flowing from their beaks. Even at the early hour, the streets began to fill with cars, their occupants too eager to begin work, only to arrive and become anxious for its end. Though the city was beginning to come awake, in darker corners and closed off rooms many occupants still slept, caught up in their own dream world, either too content or tired to wake.

Towards the center of the city stood a wide green lawn with a long concrete walkway down its center. Shallow pools of water lined the walkway and ringed marble statues. The grass was covered with planks of wood, long beams stretching from one end to the other. Men dressed in jeans and sturdy boots milled about, going from one task to the next. From above, the area surrounding the ruined Hall of Justice resembled an ant hill, a constant stream of workers crossing paths with one another. Weeks of hard work, coupled with some super powered assistance, were paying off; the iconic domed shell of the building was coming together. With funding from donations given by the public, many of them coming from citizens the members of the League had saved, the construction crews had been able to work from what remained of the subterranean levels up, returning the structure nearly to its former pristine state. Only a few key walls and minor, but essential, details remained. Near one of the pools, a man wearing a hard hat, was looking down at a clipboard, glancing up every now and then at the expressionless red robot that stood in front of him.

"Mr. Tornado….." He began in a thick Brooklyn accent. "It's like I told Superman and the Wonder Dame. Most buildings, not even this one, are designed to take an attack from a guy like that you know, with the third eye and all. A lot of the load bearing walls went down with the foundation."

"Your explanation is not necessary, Mr. Hamill. I am fully aware of the process of constructing a building. I only require an update on the time required to complete your task from this point." Red Tornado's voice was monotone as usual. "My studies tell me that your description of Wonder Woman is unnecessary as well."

His last remark left the foreman frowning. "As long as yous don't get any more a them purple alien guys smashing up the place, I'd say we'll have this baby done in a couple of weeks tops."

Red Tornado nodded, or what appeared to be his closest version of the action, in what one could assume was approval. "I do not believe the League expects such a visitor. If you will excuse me Mr. Hamill, I have monitor duties to attend to in 3.5 minutes." With his last words a short crimson funnel cloud began to form around his waist, slowly creeping down until it enveloped his iron clad feet. As the air circulating around him began to pick up speed, Red Tornado lifted into the air, the twister forming a tail behind him as he flew off, a brilliant red mark against the sky that was growing lighter by the moment.

High above the city, Red Tornado glanced down at the winding paths of the streets; they were even more crowded than they had been before he'd arrived at the construction site. He angled himself to alter his flight path, heading in the direction of a secondary zeta tube system nearby. As per usual, human behavior both fascinated and bewildered the robot. In the few days since the attack on Star Labs, the debate regarding alien activity on the planet had shifted 13.5% in favor of restricting alien activity. Though all sides had their merits, this train of thought struck a chord with the illogical in Red Tornado's mind.

_Threats will not come to this world without cause._ He thought to himself. Even the Reach had come to Earth with an original purpose. It just so happened that their hunt for the blue scarab had resulted in a full scale invasion and the near annihilation of the planet. _They will simply close off the planet from assistance should one come to call._

Slowing the whirl of wind around him, Red Tornado came to a stop, floating down to the ground slowly in the alley way between two buildings. He turned towards the small shack like structure off to the side: it appeared to be a a supply closet of sorts, but housed the entrance to the zeta tube that would take him to the Watchtower. As he walked, his lack of peripheral vision allowed him to miss the movement of a human shape on the roof across the street. The figure became misshapen in the shadow of the collection of chimney stacks growing from the roof, a large protrusion appearing on one side, making it look as though it could topple over. A light glow began to form at the end of it, pointing straight in the direction of the red robot. Slowly, he began to turn, his internal censors detecting a rise in the levels of electromagnetic energy around him. The figure across the way was still obscured, but a light click echoed around them, unobstructed by obstacles, as it pressed the down the trigger to what was no apparent to be a weapon.

The glow at the end of it was now accompanied by a high pitched whirring buzz interlaced with a shrill piercing electronic shriek. A few moments passed and Red Tornado began to freeze; the joints in his metallic body stuck, rendering him motionless. His shoulders slumped, blue cape caught up in the light breeze that blew through the alley. No longer rigid, the robot fell straight down, hitting the pavement with a resounding metallic clank. It echoed for just a moment when the sound was swallowed by the angry roar of engines as armored vehicles swarmed in around him from the surrounding alley ways.

A dozen soldiers piled out of each car, each one carrying a weapon which they trained on the fallen hero, as if expecting him to suddenly stand. He remained motionless, even as a young man carrying computer knelt on the ground next to him. None of the soldiers moved, watching as he attached one cable after the other to the metal man, the network of wires routing into the computer now propped open next to him. With one quick tap on the keyboard a progress bar appeared. A thick blue line was slowing creeping over the empty portion, the label above it reading 'Reboot'. With another short stream of key strokes the bar emptied, then began to refill much slower than before.

"It's done. The reboot will take hours instead of minutes." The man said looking up from the computer, giving a quick nod to one of the soldiers.

"Good. Load him up." The soldier ordered. One truck started, prompting the rest of the men into action. A few grabbed Red Tornado on each side, hoisting him onto the truck. It began to pull forward, then drove away from the alley, all but one of the other vehicles following it. The soldier pulled a small radio from one of his many pockets, pressing the button that had it crackling to life. "This is Snare One. We have the target. Over."

Santa Prisca

August 17

07:31 ECT

2016

Tall green trees laden with thick vines crowded together, leaving thin paths hidden from anyone who didn't know how to look for them. The sounds of animals and the light breeze moving through the leaves were cut but the sharp electronic crackle of a radio. Father into the jungle, nestled carefully in the tree that bordered a large clearing, stood a short brown building. Gaps were slowly widening between the wooden planks that lined the walls and roof, some of them beginning to fill with vegetation. Scorch marks covered the walls, as if the structure had somehow withstood a fire. The crackle sounded again, echoing from inside the structure. A helicopter sat in the middle of the clearing, its weight crushing the plants beneath its steel runners. Men dressed in varying degrees of armament were scattered around, going about whatever tasks were required of them.

Inside the building an old radio sat atop a shelf along a wall, the rest of the room bare except for three large metal tubes. Cold air billowed away from them making the breath from the man that stood next to them cloud in front of his face, despite the heat outside. The radio crackled again, drawing his attention.

_"This is Snare One. We have the target. Over."_

Long strides carried him across the room. In one smooth motion he grabbed the mouth piece of the radio, holding it up to speak. He pressed the button on the side, another crackle coming from the speakers, this one much louder than the others.

"Roger, Snare Two. Return to base for target deconstruction." Stretching the cord that was strung from one piece of the radio to the other, the man walked back across the building. He stopped by the containers, reaching out with one hand to wipe away the frost that was forming on the glass panels on the fronts of them. A wry smile formed on his lips as he looked down at their contents. One held a young woman with dark skin, short dark hair spiked up and away from her face. The other contained a young man, his body covered in shiny metallic blue armor. Lifting the radio back to his face, the man spoke again. "Transfer of cargo from Snares One and Three successful. Home base over and out."

Watchtower

August 17

19:37 EDT

Aqualad stood with his arms crossed, looking around the room at the Team gathered before him. They stared back at their leader, expressions varying from concern to outrage. With one last glance he cleared his throat, preparing to speak.

"This briefing will not take long." He began, doing his best to relax his stance, but only succeeding in taking on another commanding position.

"What's going on?" Beast Boy asked scratching his head. "We don't usually start missions with everyone here unless the world is ending. Or almost everyone."

"I am getting to that." Aquald replied turning around smoothly to face one of the holographic computer screens behind him. He reached for the keyboard, typing quickly as he spoke. "Blue Beetle, Rocket, and Red Tornado have all gone missing. Each of them were assigned to a specific task today, but have failed to report back to Watchtower in the last twelve hours."

A few gasps from around the room were cut off as a map of the United States appeared on the screen. There areas were lit up brilliantly, drawing their attention of its viewers.

"And the League wants us to find them?" Tigress asked, studying it closely.

"Yes." Aqualad said turning to face the Team again. "We will start with their last known locations. Gamma Squad is Superboy, Miss Martian, Starfire, and Tigress. You will start in Washington DC and look for Red Tornado. Batgirl will lead Beta Squad with Bumble Bee, Kid Flash, Guardian, and Static. Blue Beetle was in El Paso; you may find some answers there. The rest of us are Alpha Squad. We will go to Dakota City and look for Rocket." He turned his head, making eye contact with Robin, Lagoon Boy, Beast Boy, and Wonder Girl.

"Report back to Watchtower if you find anything." Aqualad finished, giving a nod to the Team. They began to break off, separating into their assigned squads and moving towards the Zeta tubes. With one outstretched hand, he stopped Tigress. "I want you in charge of Gamma."

She blinked at him from behind her mask, but nodded once before pulling away to follow the rest of the Team.

Santa Prisca

August 17

19:49 EDT

Rocket didn't open her eyes as she awoke, using the moment to take stock of her surroundings. A cold flat surface pressed against her back, her shoulder blades slightly numb from the combination of cold and pressure. Where ever she was appeared to be dimly lit; no light assaulted her eyes from behind their lids. It was almost deadly silent. Her head was pounding, her vision blurred as she slowly opened her eyes, trying to see through the darkness around her. Rolling slowly to her side, Rocket placed one palm on the floor and gritted her teeth, pushing herself up off the cold floor. The room she sat in was damp and made of stone. Iron bars lined the walls as far as she could see, which wasn't saying much in the dim light.

Lifting one hand to rub her eyes, she made her first attempt at standing finding her legs felt more like gelatin than muscle, forcing her to drop back to the ground, somewhat winded from the minor exertion. With one hand still pressed to her forehead, she pulled her legs up to her chest thinking hard. The last thing she could remember was flying, admiring the sunrise, when a shrill screech had drummed in her ears. A bright flashing light had momentarily blinded her; pulling up her shield bubble had helped until her breathing became labored. Only a few moments passed before all she could remember was darkness and nothing. Her hand dropped from her forehead to her waist, a chill going up her spine when she found her belt was gone.

"You honestly think they would let you keep it?" A voice asked suddenly from the darkness. The question was punctuated by a cough. "After all, they did all of this just to get to it."

Rocket turned on the spot, her legs tucking beneath her in preparation for an attack. The light did little to help her see, but she was just able to make out a figure beyond the small ring of light on the other side of the bars. After taking a few more moments to steady herself, she tried to stand again, this time finding her legs more stable. Taking the few steps towards the bars, she slammed one hand into them. "Who are you?" She demanded with frustration in her voice.

"After all of these years, I don't think the two of us have ever been properly introduced." The figure took a step closer to the bars, the light beginning to partially illuminate his shape. "I am Professor Anthony Ivo."

Rocket narrowed her eyes and pushed away from the bars, staring down at the man. He was at least a head shorter than her and didn't strike her as very intimidating. "You mean Ivo as in the guy who made that funky robot with all those League powers?"

"Poor choice of words to describe one of the most high tech and powerful pieces of machinery ever created." Ivo replied with one eyebrow raised. "But in answer to your question, yes. I am _that_ Professor Ivo."

Rocket took another step back and crossed her arms. "Last I heard, you were locked up in Belle Reeve."

"Two days ago that statement would have been correct, but it seems my jailers wanted me somewhere…less public." Ivo said gesturing around the two of them. Rocket turned her head and quickly scanned the room, noting that they were the only two there. Closer study revealed Ivo was not outside her cell as she had assumed, but in one of his own that simply shared one bared wall with hers.

"Okay, so what do they want with me?" She asked on the off chance the man knew. "Whoever 'they' are."

Ivo rolled his eyes and moved a little ways away from the bars. "And to think I was hoping to have an _intellectual_ conversation. I suppose I shall just have to continue to miss them. They didn't want you. They wanted your accessories." He said gesturing vaguely to where her belt should be.

"My belt?" Rocket said looking down at herself again.

"As for who, even I do not know the answer to that, my dear." Ivo said ignoring her statement. He covered his mouth to stifle a cough. "But I could make a few well educated guesses."

Rocket opened her mouth to question him more when the creaking sound of unoiled hinges greeted her ears. She looked up, seeing a shaft of light appear as a hatch in the ceiling opened. Two men were walking down a set of stair she hadn't been able to see before. They were both heavily armed and clad in clothing that looked combat ready. One of them made his way to the now visible door to Ivo's cell, pulling a set of keys from a pocket on his jacket.

"Come on old man. Time to earn your keep." His voice was gruff and sounded like he's gargled gravel.

Ivo crossed his arms and looked around the cell. "So I will wash a car or two? That should earn plenty for my stay in such a fine establishment as this." The door whined as the armed man forced it open, drawing a pistol from the holster under his arm.

"I can add the price of a bullet as well if you think it will help with the resale value." The sharp click of a bullet sliding into place had Ivo uncrossing his arms and hurrying out of the cell. The man put one foot out in Ivo's path, tripping the older man.

"Hey! That is uncalled for!" Rocket exclaimed. "He's gotta be pushing seventy you know."

The man holstered his gun then leaned closer to the front of her cell. "Just be glad we didn't have orders to kill you after we took your tech, lady. So shut up!"

Rocket frowned, watching Ivo pick himself up from the ground. Another cough racked his body as he stood up, using the cell bars as support for a moment before standing at his full unimpressive height.

"Don't worry my dear. They need me in one piece to work on your friends. They wouldn't dare hurt me or brining those two here would be a complete waste." Ivo wheezed.

_Awaken, Jaime Reyes. We are rebooting._

Blue Beetle fought off a groan, a sharp pain moving through his skull. With each wave a momentary pulse of dull aching followed. _Ah. My head…What hit us?_

_Thirty-eight minutes and sixteen seconds into our patrol we encountered an electronic pulse of magnitude great enough to force shut down. Internal scans reveal you have been unconscious for fourteen hours and twenty-six minutes._

_Okay, okay, I get it. _As the pain in his head began to subside, he realized the rest of his body was splayed out awkwardly. His arms were stretched out to his sides, his legs hanging straight down. A light glow surrounded him, seeming to have a liquid like consistency, keeping him aloft. _Where are we?_

_An unknown energy field is interfering, Jaime Reyes. I am unable to access external sensors and communications. _

_Okay so… let's blast it then. _

_Our weapons systems are not available, Jaime Reyes. There is an exterior drain on our power. Attack is not possible._

_Great. _He thought, making sure to layer on the sarcasm. Turning his head, he took in his surroundings. From the looks of the various pieces of equipment around the room, it appeared to be a lab of some sort. Frowning, he decided on his next course of action. "Hello!"

_Why are you greeting them, Jaime Reyes?_

"If you're new to this villain gig, this is the part where you're supposed to show up and tell me your evil plans for world domination or whatever it is you're after!" He shouted again, ignoring the scarab.

"Blue Beetle. Is that you?" The response came from somewhere off to the side, the voice familiar.

"Red Tornado?" Blue Beetle called turning his head.

"Affirmative." Red Tornado replied.

"Red! Are you in a stasis field too?" He figured that's what the thing was.

"I am not, but I cannot come to your assistance, as I assume that is why you inquired."

Blue raised an eyebrow and strained his neck trying to pinpoint the man. "Why not?"

"My body has been disassembled." Red Tornado said, no emotion registering in his voice. "It is separated on those shelves."

Blue turned his head again, this time catching a glimpse of metallic red. "Oh. Ouch."

"I am not experiencing any form of discomfort. You need not be concerned for me, though I find this situation troubling."

Across the room the double doors that led into the lab burst open. Blue blinked in surprise as Professor Ivo was shoved through them, followed by two armed men. Close behind them was another man. He was dressed similarly to the other two, but carried no weapons, only an almost palpable air of authority. As they approached him, Blue Beetles eyes began to narrow, the vague familiarity of the man beginning to prick at him. The man who appeared to be in charge stopped in front of him, his arms held behind his back giving him a commanding stance.

"Hello. I am General Wade Eiling." He turned and continued walking, casting confident glances around the room. Seeming to spot something out of Blue's line of sight, he moved toward it, picking it up from the sound of it. The sound of his shoes clicking on the floor never stopped. "And you are going to tell me everything you know about every piece of alien technology you know about." The man appeared again on Blue's other side, having made a complete circle around the room.

Blue gasped as he looked down at the object clutched in the man's hand. Red Tornado's head stared back at him.

"Are we clear?"

Washington DC

August 17

20:35 EDT

White clouds glowed blue in the night sky, the stars shimmering brilliantly in the gaps between them. Moonlight shone down on an apartment complex, office buildings and business on all sides of it. The air above the apartment building shimmered slightly before going still once more, the Bioship's camouflaged adjusting to fit the atmosphere around it. On the surrounding rooftops Superboy, Tigress, and Starfire moved systematically, scanning the area for anything unusual. Superboy leaped to the next rooftop, his eyes narrowing in focus looking straight through the building. Finding nothing, he moved on.

_Is the Bioship picking up anything unusual? Any that could lead to Red Tornado? _ He thought, directing the telepathic question to Miss Martian. Though they had a back up communication link, it was easier to use this one at the moment.

"No." Miss Martian replied with a sigh, speaking aloud but knowing they could still here her in their minds. She frowned at the read outs on the screen in front of her. "I haven't picked up anything out of the ordinary, but there were a few reports about power outages earlier, about the same time Red Tornado would have disappeared. So far they're unexplained."

_Any ideas about what caused it? _Tigress asked before taking a flying leap to another roof top. She landed, her momentum carrying her into a roll that brought her back to her feet. _Power outages don't just happen._

"The main power grid doesn't show any loss of output in this area or anywhere else for that matter. Everything just…switched off." Miss Martian replied frowning at another page of information. "Hold on. None of the cars in the area would start either."

_An EMP. _Tigress thought after a moment. _It has to be._

"Of course!" Miss Martian exclaimed. "Like the one you used on Red Inferno and Red Torpedo."

_It makes sense. Someone must have used one on Red Tornado too. _Superboy added coming to a halt. _Any idea where the epicenter is?_

"Not yet, but I can find out." Miss Martain replied furiously typing into the ship's computer. The screen in front of her showed a map of the affected area; It was slowly shrinking until the computer pinpointed a smaller area. "The EMP originated two blocks north of Superboy's position. I'll send you the coordinates and meet you there." After one more swipe across the keyboard Miss Martian stood and made her way to the flight controls towards the back of the ship.

_Coordinates received. I'm on my way._

_ As am I. _Starfire chimed in.

Superboy landed lightly on the roof top, managing to avoid creating a crater in the concrete. He straightened, glancing around once before making another pass over the building, looking for anything suspicious on the inside. The bioship docked just behind him, the loading bay opened to reveal Miss Martian. She floated up and out of the ship before touching back down next to him. Knowing he was concentrating, she waited until his face relaxed before speaking.

"Anything?" She asked quietly. His only reply was a subtle shake of his head. He looked up then, drawing Miss Martian's attention to Starfire. The girl was flying towards them, pulling up suddenly before landing near the other two. Barely a moment passed before she was speaking.

"I am curious, friends, as to why this Red Tornado is so important. If he is a machine like Tigress explained to me, can he not just be replaced?" Her question was genuine, but had the others staring at her with shock evident on their faces. Starfire just looked back at them, unaware of the unspoken line she had crossed.

"Red Tornado is our friend. That's why we have to find him." Superboy said angrily taking a step forward towards the girl when he felt a pull at his arm. Looking back sharply, his eyes connected with Miss Martian's, hers pleading with him to keep a reign on his anger. His tensed muscles relaxed with a few slow breaths and he turned back to Starfire, all hint of previous menace gone. "Sorry."

Starfire just nodded, accepting the apology without a word. The three of them turned at the sound of Tigress landing on the far side of the roof.

"Did you find anything?" Tigress asked, receiving shaking heads in response before she'd finished her question. She sighed and turned in a circle studying the rooftop. It was empty except for the air vents that connected to the buildings heating and cooling systems. A raised portion of the roof had a door that lead to a stairwell that went back down into the building. Her eyes began to narrow as she walked the length of the roof. Moving along the side farthest from where she had first come in, Tigress stopped at the corner, kneeling down and leaning forward, her face just inches from the concrete. Two parallel scratches marred the otherwise smooth ledge. "There was something heavy put here, a weapon. At least seventy-five pounds. Definitely high recoil if it caused marks like this." She stood up and turned, finding the others watching her.

"Please continue." Starfire prompted fascination evident on her face.

Tigress blinked, but moved around them, facing the building that housed the Zeta tube. "This spot isn't in the direct line of sight from the flight path to the Zeta tube; whoever the shooter was knew where Red Tornado was coming from and where he was going. It would take high level aim to hit him from the far, even with the EMP wave expanding. " Placing one hand on her opposite wrist a display appeared, A street map with Red Tornado's most logical flight path from the Hall of Justice to the Zeta Tubes highlighted expanded as Tigress pinpointed their location on it. "I think I know where he would have gone down."

Santa Prisca

August 17

21:10 ECT

Blue Beetle clenched his fist and clamped his mouth shut to stave off the cry of pain threatening to escape him. With his eyes shut tight he could not see if the electric pulse coursing through his body was manifesting on the outside. The image in his mind was one of his own body, wreathed in bolts of lightning that were sparking a brilliant blue. As quickly as the pain started, it vanished, replaced by a scorched feeling that spread across his skin. His eyes fluttered open slowly, locking on General Eiling standing in front of him, one hand on a power switch.

"Do not make me ask you again. What other alien technology do you have knowledge of? What species?" His voice hadn't left its smooth commanding tenor, even though Blue knew his frustration had to be building. With a quick flip of his wrist, the switched flicked back to the on position, sending a fresh wave electricity through Blue Beetle's body; it lasted only a few moments before he turned the machine off again, the perfect punctuation to his demands.

"I…don't…know." Blue Beetle growled between gasped breaths. He was sure if he hadn't been suspended in the air he would have broken down and slumped to the floor by now. The General narrowed his eyes at him, flicking the switch on once more. Blue tensed up, biting the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. The crackling sound of static dissipated as the machine shut down again.

"Do no lie to me." The General said coldly. "We know your scarab has the information. Knowledge of multiple alien species and their tech. Now start talking and be grateful I haven't tried to pry that tin can off of you!"

"That threat is ineffective." Red Tornado called out, his disembodied head now on an exam table, Professor Ivo prodding and tinkering with different tools. "Human technology has proved to do little harm to the scarab armor."

"That is precisely why we require the information he has." The General replied, shooting a glare at the head, then back at Blue Beetle. "We need to learn how things like you tick so that we may correct that little inconvenience."

"That is why you acquired the services of Professor Ivo. To reverse engineer my creator's work and other technologies like me." Red Tornado stated, putting together what he'd managed to gather.

"So you can sell it on the black-market!" Blue added angrily, finding the thought of any small piece of the armor's intel falling into the wrong hands more than he could bear.

The General was shaking his head, his mouth open just a little. It took Blue a moment to realized the man was actually laughing; his suspicion was confirmed when a quiet chuckle reached his ears as the man moved closer to his captive. "I do not do this for money! I do this because I am a loyal patriot to my country. United States policies have been controlled by you and the rest of the Superfriends for far too long. Sitting up in that space clubhouse of yours, looking down at us mere mortals. It is high time that changed. I want to put the power back in the hands of everyday people. For years I've had to sit back and watch all of you play hero, only to find most of you vanish from the face of the Earth when the world needed you most."

Blue Beetle blinked at the man, dumfounded. "What? How do you know-"

"Not all of your secrets are a secret kid." The General said standing up even straighter.

"It appears recent events have prompted aggressive action." Red Tornado said evenly. The General turned, sauntering over to the work table where the head sat.

"The most recent alien attack was the last straw. Once we were content with the mere scraps of technology the League threw to us or what we managed to scavenge for ourselves. We made the most advanced piece of military hardware in the history of mankind." His fist slammed down on the table next to Red Tornado's head, sending vibrations through the table that made it shake. "And even then it still wasn't enough. It gets thrown around the room like a rag doll, and now we hear that yet more aliens are coming to our planet. But this time we will not be caught unprepared."

"What are you going to do?" Blue asked glaring back at the man.

The General turned back around and reached out for the switch on the machine. He patted it once, like the head of a dog that had performed a trick for a treat. "I am going to learn all of your secrets." With the last word he flipped the switch. Unable to contain it anymore, Blue Beetle let loose a blood curdling scream.

Washington DC

August 17

20:56 EDT

The Bioship hovered invisible just above the diret ground of the empty lot before it touched down, barely raising a dust cloud despite its weight. A hatch in the back opened, lacking the mechanical hiss of compressed air that would have accompanied any other craft. Bright light shined out, silhouetted the four now exiting the ship, illuminating the area around them. Tigress was in the lead, an intense look of concentration on her face as she followed the path marked out on the holographic map the emanated from her wrist. Her eyes flicked around the lot, then from side to side while they walked down the shadowy alley. Coming to a halt the map collapsed, taking its soft blue glow with it.

"This should be the spot. Red's flight path, the weapon's trajectory, and the blackout area all intersect here." When she looked up, Superboy was kneeling on the pavement examining a small crater like impression in the asphalt.

"I think this is it." He said pulling up a chunk from the ground and looking at it closely. "There are traces of red paint on here. It's metallic."

Starfire lifted off the ground and drifted past him further down the alley. She stopped and reoriented herself to land, her eyes narrowed at something on the ground before her.

"Friends come and see what I have discovered." Her hand waved excitedly calling the other three over. "Do these marks mean something important too?"

Tigress jogged down the alley followed by Miss Martian and Superboy, coming to a stop next to Starfire. She knelt again tracing her hand over the burn marks on the ground lead out to the main road. "They're scorch marks from rubber. The tread looks like a tire. Someone was definitely in hurry."

"And these?" Starfire was on the other side of the alleyway pointing at a set of matching marks parallel to the first. "They were in a hurry too?"

Tigress stood upand looked from one set to the other. "It's from the same vehicle. A truck most likely. And it was a big one judging by the wide axel."

"It would have to be to carry Red Tornado." Superboy commented.

"I can't make out enough of the tread to trace it." Tigress said with a discouraged sigh.

"Maybe there's a better imprint somewhere?" Miss Martian offered her tone ever optimistic.

"Like here?" The three of them turned again to see Starfire had gone even further up the alley and was pointing at the ground yet again. "There are marks in this puddle."

With wide eyes, Tigress got up and ran at full speed, skidding to the ground by the puddle. A thin layer of dirt filled the hole, an impression of the tire tread preserved in the soft surface. "Yes! Miss Martian can you-" Tigress didn't get to finish her question as the water lifted from the puddle, leaving the impression behind.

"Aqualad could have done it better." Miss Maritan replied, depositing the water elsewhere in the alley.

"It's perfect." Tigress replied waving away her comment. She leaned forward examining the track and flipping through countless tire production records on her wrist computer, then stood up suddenly. "The size and tread match the ones used on a Humvee. They belong to a group that specializes in state of the art weaponry and EMP shields. They wouldn't be noticed around here, even in high alert situations."

Though Starfire looked confused, the other three exchanged glances.

"You don't think it was-" Superboy started, but Tigress cut him off, already knowing what he was going to say.

"Tigress to Aqualad." She had already pressed the button on her communicator, one hand held to her ear.

_"This is Aqualad. You have made progress on your mission? _Aqualad's voice was calm and clear.

"We need to contact Captain Atom. The United States military may have kidnapped Red Tornado."

Santa Prisca

August 17

21:56

A quard stood just inside the doors of the lad, adjusting his hold on the gun in his hands every few minutes. His eyes twitched to glance at the unconscious Blue Beetle every now and then, satisfied that he would not wake for some time. The General had left him in charge of watching Ivo. The old man was currently sitting at a desk of the far side of the room, Red Tornado's head in front of him. Various instruments were laid out around him, everything from industrial power, to dental picks, to Geiger counters. Ivo leaned close to the head, thick glassed sitting low on his nose.

"If you are attempting to access my abilities, you may find it more efficient to study my torso section." Red Tornado commented, his nonchalant voice contrasting with the situation.

"I know what I am doing, thank you." Ivo replied replacing the tool in his hand with another.

"Of course, I merely offered a suggestion." The head replied. "Though you and T.O. Morrow were rivals you seem well versed in his engineering techniques."

"Morrow and I enjoyed the challenge of out doing echo other. There was no way we could completely ignore one another's accomplishments." Ivo said standing slowly. He braced himself against the desk for a moment, and then picked up the head carefully, placing it on the small raised shelf beside him. "He was a very intelligent man."

"As are you." Red Tornado added.

"That is high praise coming from you, his last greatest creation." Ivo paused as he sat back down, pulling Rocket's belt from one of the desk drawers. "It is such a shame he was unable to continue his work for a bit longer."

Red Tornado found himself under the impression that words of comfort would have been appropriate at that moment. Before he could act on it an image of General Eiling appeared on the computer screen behind Ivo.

"Progress report, professor." His voice was still smooth but demanding. Ivo sighed in exasperation and dropped the tool he was using on the desk where it clattered on the wood until it grew still.

"How many times must I reiterate that this will take time." He turned in his chair, a glare plastered on his face. The General glared back at him, his annoyance only evident in his eyes. "It took me an entire week to devise, design, and build the weapons you used to capture your new guests and you expect me to have their highly advanced technology craked in less thatn a day? I've already given you some new toys since then; you should be off playing with them instead of bothering me. Now go away." The General continued to glare at him, but the screen soon went black.

"Oh my head." Ivo looked over at the sudden sound. Blue Beetle was still hanging suspended. The young man was quiet for a few moments before speaking again. "Yes, yes, I know I said that already today. Where's Eiling?!" He called out louder.

"Gone. Though the man seems determined he lost interest when you passed out." As Ivo spoke, he managed to pry the front panel of the belt off, the metal separating with a metallic pop. "Finally!" He hunched over the belt throwing himself into the task with renewed vigor.

"So are you one of General Nut-Job's toy soldiers now?" Blue Beetle asked with a snort of disgust.

"Believe it or not, boy, I am a prisoner here just as much as you are." Ivo reached over and patted Red Tornado's head. "So is the young woman downstairs."

"Woman?" Blue raised an eyebrow in confusion, then he caught sight of the belt. A shocked gasp escaped him. "Rocket! What did you do to her?!" He demanded angrily.

Ivo rolled his eyes and looked up from the belt. "Apparently the League has lowered its IQ requirements for its members. Like I said, I am a prisoner here. I have done nothing to her, but if it will help last I saw of her she was perfectly fine, sitting in the cell next to mind. Ah!" He practically pounced on the belt, something renewing his interest.

Blue was quiet for a while, content with that answer. "So what's the deal?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific." Ivo said not looking up. His nose was almost touching the belt.

"You're trying to find out what 'makes us tick'. Then you just hand over the info to your jailers?" Blue asked confused. "What's in it for you? What do you get out of this?"

"Nothing." Ivo said simply. "Once I complete the reverser engineering process, I will no longer be of use to them."

"So you'll go back to Belle Reeve?" Blue guessed.

Ivo ignored him for a minute, pulling a small glowing scrap from the belt. "Do you think they would risk me escaping that place with the knowledge I'll be able to gather here? They might not be the most intelligent of sorts, but they are not that stupid."

Ivo turned away, setting the small glowing piece down on the desk. He faced Red Tornado's head and turned it upside down, his motions suggesting he was doing his best to yank something out from the inside. Facing that way, he missed the expression that crossed Blue Beetle's face; it was a complicated mixture of confusion, sadness, and pity.

"How can you be so calm?" He asked quietly.

"I'm getting too old for this." Ivo said ignoring him again. He leaned away from the head, flexing his hand and bending his fingers repeatedly. His hand started waving then, motioning for the guard by the door to approach. "You! Soldier! I require assistance for a moment!"

The guard narrowed his eyes, but started walking across the room, his grip on the gun in his hands tightening as if preparing for an attack. "What?"

"Oh for Pete's sake. I am seventy years old. What do you think I'm going to do? Take you out in hand-to-hand combat?" Ivo asked sarcastically with an eye roll for emphasis. The guard frowned, but slowly lowered his weapon. Satisfied, Ivo turned Red's head around to face the man. "Simply rotate this cylinder here and pull it out. Turn it clockwise mind you, or you could break the whole thing."

"That's all?" The soldier snorted, reaching out with one hand to hold the head still. He squinted for a moment, pinpointing the cylinder before reaching inside and gripping it with his fingertips. As he turned his wrist the cylinder moved. Just as it clicked into place a stream of electricity shot up the man's arm, quickly enveloping the rest of his body. He stood as if frozen for only a few seconds then started to fall backwards, straight down like a falling tree. Red Tornado's head still clutched in his hand launched into the air only to be caught by Ivo on the way down. He fumbled a bit before tucking the head securely against his chest.

"Ha! Take that! Hand-to-hand, certainly not, but mind-to-mind, you are quite out of luck my friend." Ivo laughed wildly. Still holding the head he reached for the belt on the desk, minus the small glowing piece, and swung it over his shoulder then walked over to the stasis field holding Blue Beetle with a surprising spring in his step.

"What are you doing?" Blue demanded watching as the man ducked behind the control panel. He heard the distinctive sound of a hatch being opened in the back before it was drowned out by the blaring wail of an alarm. "Ivo!"

In a matter of moments two more soldiers burst through the doors with weapons drawn. They each scanned the room, missing Ivo's small frame hidden behind the control panel.

"Where's Ivo?" One of them shouted, directing the question at Blue. He just looked back at them blinking, unsure of what to say.

"Uh…" The word came out on a shocked breath as the stasis felid around him evaporated and he dropped to the ground, catching himself on his hands and knees. He looked up at the two men, squinting his eyes shut as they trained their weapons on him, opening fire in rapid succession. Each bullet bounced off the armor, but still made him want to flinch. With his arms already shaking, he lifted one with just enough energy to morph it into a sonic cannon. The blast was weak, but sent both men flying backwards through the doors and into the hallway where they slammed into the far wall and slumped to the ground, unconscious. Panting now, Blue Beetle lowered his arm, having returned it to a hand, and stared at the ground in front of him, fighting to stay awake.

_Warning, Jaime Reyes. You have sustained substantial physical damage. Power levels are at .7%. We are unable to access the weapons systems necessary to escape this area for 1.75 hours._

Blue blinked rapidly as his vision began to cloud, too weak to respond to the scarab. He blinked again as a thin hand appeared in his line of sight. A small piece of metal sat in the hands palm, a bright blue glow casting shadows in the crevices of its skin.

"You can use this to recharge." Ivo's voice was bordering on commanding as he offered the scrap.

"What is it?" Blue breathed the question quietly.

"It's an energy drink." Ivo said sarcastically. "Just take it."

_The cooperative power cell is sufficient for a partial recharge, Jaime Reyes. We must take it._

With a quiet sigh and a grunt of effort, Blue lifted his hand and clasped his hand around it. The light flared up brightly, shining between his fingers until it was almost blinding. When it had subsided, his wings began to extend pulling him up from the ground where he hovered several feet in the air.

_Power levels at 87% capacity._ The scarab had barely finished its statement when another group of soldiers charged through the door. They stopped, looking up at Blue Beetle dumfounded. In the moment of stillness, Blue turned to face them slowly, both arms morphing into cannons. A determined grimace spread across his face as he raised them both and fired.

A dozen armed men crept up to the double doors leading into the lab. The man in the lead cocked his gun, the click of a bullet sliding into the chamber almost echoing around the smoke filled hallway. He raised one hand, gesturing for the men behind him to follow as he ran through the doors. A moment later he came flying through it backwards, striking the far wall. He hung there suspended by two large blue staples, two unconscious men sitting on the floor below his feet. The doors swung in and out, revealing Blue Beetle standing on the far side of a table inside the room. As the rest of the men looked between their captain and the hero an unspoken decision passed between them. They simultaneously turned and began firing into the room. Blue Beetles eyes widened and he dropped to the floor behind the table.

"There's more of them." He gasped turning to look at Ivo. He picked up Red Tornado's head and set it on his knees.

"Might I suggest we find a means of escape before we are recaptured?" The head asked. No one answered the robot as Blue Beetle leaned around the desk. He fired off one blast from his sonic cannon before gunfire began to rain down on his new position. With a startled yelp he jerked back behind the desk, jostling the head and turned his own to look at the small dent in the armor covering his shoulder.

"Ouch." He said simply with confusion tinting his voice. The dent vanished as the armor repaired itself in a matter of seconds.

_Be careful Jaime Reyes. The enemies' projectiles weapons are comprised of a denser alloy than most human weapons. They are unable to pierce our armor, but seem to still cause damage to your body. Immediate escape is advised. _

_ Thanks for the warning. _Blue replied rubbing his shoulder; though the bullet hadn't gotten through, he was sure there were be a fairly large bruise across his shoulder later. _How bout you figure out a way to get us all out of here. I've had it with being shot at._

_ Scans of the surrounding structure reveal no weak points to create a means of escape. This lab is well reinforced. Communication systems are offline. Calling for assistance will prove useless. The only foreseeable route is-_

"The only way out is through the front door." Blue said cutting off the scarab and turning to Ivo. "Yo Professor. Any idea how to call off your buddies here?" He jerked his hand up, motioning to the men that were still shooting at them. A bullet speared through a beaker on the desk causing it to shatter; shards of glass clattered to the floor around them, and Ivo put his hands up to shield himself.

"If I knew a way out of here I wouldn't need your help to escape now would I?!" He exclaimed with a frightened flourish. The little man crouched down even father as Blue turned to fire again.

"Well you'd better think of something fast."

"Despite popular conception, brilliance does not come out of nowhere-" Ivo cut himself off as his face lit up. "Is your armor capable of producing an electrical discharge? Preferably a large one."

"Yes." Blue said only half paying attention as he followed the movement of one man who had managed to get through the door with his cannon. He frowned as another followed. Shrugging it off, he fired the staples at another of the work tables sending it flying at the two men; it knocked them backwards then pinned them against the wall.

"Then I suggest using it." Ivo said pointing up at the ceiling. Blue Beetle glanced up spotting was looked like a sprinkler. Turning his head slightly he realized there were at least half a dozen of them around the room.

"Oh, I get it." Before he finished the sentence, Blue was already firing at the sprinkle. Water shot out of the ceiling in all directions, the first setting of a chain reaction as the others burst open as well. The room's contents were soon completely drenched, an inch of water already collecting on the floor. Blue turned to Ivo and waved him over after tossing Red Tornado's head to him. "Hold on to him and climb on."

Ivo nodded and crawled over to him as he turned to fire several cannon blasts as the soldiers. With the head tucked into his chest, he wrapped his arms around Blue Beetle's shoulders and hauled himself onto his back between the wings. "I'm ready."

With a nod, his right arm morphed into a double barreled launcher, wings shooting out to their full extension. In the next moment they were airborne, hovering high above the soldiers and water. Blue Beetle aimed his right arm at the floor, two thick reinforced cables shooting out and embedding themselves in the floor. Electricity began to course down the cables, straight into the soaked floor. Sparks bounced off of them, the bolts beginning to grow around the room like lightning, attracted to anything metal. A few of the soldiers dropped their guns, but they were already being shocked by the electricity conducted by the water. One last wave traveled down the cables, then the sparks stopped. The soldiers dropped to the ground one by one, none of them dead, but each of them somewhat scorched. With the task done, Blue relaxed, finding himself falling through the air, only catching himself and Ivo less than a foot from the ground.

"Are you alright Blue Beetle?" Red Tornado's voice was muffled but still audible.

"I'm fine." Blue replied shaking it off. "Let's just find Rocket and get out of here. Sorry Red. We'll have to find the rest of you later."

"It's quite alright."

"Ivo do you know how to get to Rocket from here?" Blue asked turning his head to look over his shoulder.

Ivo scowled at him, about to remind him yet again that a man of his intellectual caliber and age could find the way back to those cells with his eyes closed, but decided that the boy didn't need the extra snarkiness at that moment. "Go right down to the end of this corridor, then take a left. All the way down that hallway then through the first door on your right, down two flights of stairs, make a left, then go through the third door on your right. Take a short set of steps and we're there. Also I suggest you hurry. There is a reason the General chose this island as a base of operations." Blue Beetle just blinked at him, having not caught everything he'd said, but was confident the scarab had. He lifted a little farther into the air, flying on Ivo's directions.

"This facility has all the equipment necessary to manufacture the biological enhancer known as Cobra Venom." Red Tornado said, his voice still muffled between Ivo and Blue.

"That is one thing they had me alter during my stay here. Their formula has been improved if I do say so myself. There is only one test vial, but the General has possession of it." Ivo added.

Rocket was sitting on the floor of her cell, glancing up at the roof aver few minutes, twiddling her thumbs and counting the bricks in the floor. Her mind was clouded with thoughts of her family, but she was doing her best not to let any sense of melancholy overcome her. Though she knew they would be safe with the League keeping an eye on them, it still hurt to think about not being there. She kept waiting to hear or see some sign of the League coming to rescue her, when the sound of a blaring alarm reached her ears. Bolting upright, she leaned against the bars of her cell, straining to make out the sounds of voices above her. She flinched at the sudden sound of gunfire, until it stopped just as suddenly, silence settling over the room once more. Rocket breathed once before the hatch in the ceiling exploded, fragments of wood flying all over the prison. She dove away from the bars and covered her head with her hands. When she looked up the sight before her both confused and elated her.

"Blue!" She shouted happily at the sight of him floating down through the now much larger hole in the ceiling. Ivo was holding on to his back, looking every bit the frail old man at that moment. "You found me!"

"You didn't think we'd leave you here did you?" Blue asked dropping farther. He hovered a few inches above the floor, letting Ivo drop from his back, and then moved forward towards the cell door. He raised his arm, morphing his hand into an anvil. With one quick swing, he knocked the door from its hinges, the dented metal flying back against the far wall. "Takeover would you?" He asked before falling face down on the floor.

"Blue!" Rocket shouted again. She ran out of the cell and knelt on the floor next to him, watching with horrified fascination as his armor began to retract into the scarab, leaving his torso bear. Carefully she rolled him over and gasped. Burn marks spread across his fingertips and palm. Purpling bruises littered his body everywhere she could see, some of them having grown large enough to touch one another. With a scowl on her face, Rocket looked up to face Ivo, her moth opening to demand he explain. Before she could speak she noticed Red Tornado's head held in the man's hands.

"Rocket we must leave immediately. Blue Beetle clearly requires medical attention. I will answer your questions later." Red Tornado assured her. Rocket just blinked in surprise, then even more so when Ivo stepped forwards, holding her belt out to her with one hand.

"You might notice a slight drop in the power output. I had to remove a power cell to give to him so we could escape. I must say though, I am confident whatever race smart enough to build this contraption certainly would have had the foresight to include back-up power." Ivo said with quiet fascination entering his voice.

Rocker just blinked at him again, but took the belt, returning it to its rightful place at her waist. "You're probably right." Was all she said before standing and stepping as close as she could get to Blue.

Ivo just stood there, watching her with a slight smile on his face.

"You're going to have to get closer than that." Rocket said waving him over. Ivo moved over to the other side of Blue Beetle, keeping a firm hold on Red Tornado's head. With a slow breath, a glowing blue bubble appeared around the four of them just as bullets began to fly into the room. Soldiers began pouring down the stairs into the prison. Rocket just smiled and waved at them. "Bye!" She said cheerily before the sphere lifted off the ground and flew straight up, blasting through the solid rock ceiling, leaving the men choking on dust and debris. When it cleared, moonlight shone through the new hole, with the heroes and Ivo nowhere in sight.

Watchtower

August 18

00:16 EST

"Turns out this Wade Eiling guy is some kind of defector or whatever from the military now. That place in Santa Prisca was unauthorized according to the rest of them. The whole thing is being searched now. A couple of the League guys went down there to help those peacekeepers from the UN. Nobody's on the island anymore, but they found the rest of Red's body so they'll probably put him back together soon. Too bad. The guys kind of a riot, you know just being a head and all and sitting there talking at random moments. Anyway, they found a bunch of stuff stolen from Star Labs, Wayne Industries, even a couple of tech things from Lex Corp if you can imagine. I think Rocket's gone home already so everything's pretty much back to normal like it was yesterday, hermano." Bart was talking faster than a normal person would, but managed to slow his speech enough so that Jaime could understand him. He leaned farther onto the other boy's hospital bed as he rambled, recounting everything he'd missed while unconscious. "Then they stormed Wade's office and all the found was an empty vial on his desk and a ten foot wide hole in one of the walls. There was a bit of a trail heading for the ocean, but I guess they didn't find anything else. Dude probably wasn't too happy with whatever Ivo did to that stuff. He's in protective custody now too."

Jaime just sat there, still silent.

"Come on, hermano! Don't look so blue, Blue! You were totally crash today!" Bart exclaimed loudly throwing his hands in the air. "You saved Ivo and Rocket, and a very important piece of Red!"

Blue's face turned stern as he looked up to face Bart. "You know what the worst part about today was? It wasn't the electrocution, or the bullets, or even thinking I might die in there. It was the look on that guy's face. A four star military general was _scared _of me, hermano. Scared! He isn't the only one either. I can tell. Everyone is! I can't just keep flying around acting like nothing happened waiting for people to feel differently about me."

"Blue?" Bart said the name like a question, concern creeping into his voice.

"No! I am done with this. The Beetle's hanging up his wings for good. I can't deal with people being scared of me. I know they're all just waiting for me to go all apocalyptic on them again!"

"They don't all think that." Bart interjected.

"I've made up my mind. You can't change it." Jaime said firmly sitting back against the pillows and crossing his arms. "And you can shut it!" He shouted at nothing.

Bart continued to sit there staring at him.

"If you'll excuse me I need to get some sleep." Jaime said turning his head to face the opposite wall. He flopped down on the pillows and rolled to his side. With a heavy sight, Bart stood up and walked over to the door. It opened silently and he stepped out, casting one more glance over his shoulder before it closed behind him.

* * *

**It became very apparent to me while writing this, that the rest of the group has very different ideas about what they think would have happened. With this being said, I would like to reiterate that nothing presented here is my idea at all. This doesn't mean that you can't enjoy it however, it just means that through the month of July I will be starting work on my own season, just to get some of those ideas out there. I hope all of you dear readers will support me as much as you have supported this so far. It's really a big confidence booster. Thank you so much.**


	8. Hope

**Story by Darksuperboy**

**Written by andiree (Posted here with her permission)**

* * *

San Francisco, Resistance HQ  
May 17 08:16 PDT  
2063

Kid Flash is running on a treadmill, with monitors set to his bare chest. Machines are beeping at his side. Miss Martian hovers nearby with her hands clasped, wearing a worried expression. She turns her towards Michael who is monitoring the machine's displays. He looks carefully at Wally's heart rate and muscle activity before turning a dial. The readings increase as the speedometer passes 200 mph.

"How are feeling Wally?" Michael asks without taking his eyes of the screen.  
Wally laughs and replies, "I'm only in first gear." The pains have stopped, and he is now getting a feel for the extra speed that was hiding within. It surged with the newly given opportunity.

"Well, make certain you will stay in that gear, thank you. I don't want to make another running machine for you after the first three." He pauses and glances over all of the screen, assessing the situation. "Are the vitals holding any pain?"

"No."

Michael nods. "Alright then. Taking it down." He reaches to the dial to lower the speed to slow, and eventually to stop. Wally is not out of breath, but a small layer of sweat glistens on his skin. M'gann floats over with a towel.

"Thanks," Wally says as he takes the towel from her, drying himself off. M'gann doesn't respond, but Wally could've sworn he saw her Martian cheeks flush red.

Michael looks at the monitors one last time and then walks to the heroes. "There are no signs of adverse effects. Anymore physical growth has stopped as well as muscle growth. Overall, you've gained about 20% in healthy mass." Wally straightens, his childish demeanor showing clearly on his face as he looks down from his new height.

"Nice," he says with a grin.

Michael rolls his eyes. "I am classing you fit for duties."

"Great," Wally replies. He scrubs the last bits off sweat from his body. "When do I start?"

"In just under thirty minutes."

Wally's enthusiasm falls. He was not expecting to go onto the field so soon-and it seems his Martian friend shares the same mind-set.

"He stills needs time to adjust, Michael," M'gann insists. She follows him down the corridor. Wally grabs his shirt and runs after them.

"I'm sorry M'gann, but you've had enough time babying him. We only kept off duties yesterday per your request even after he passed the health checks." Michael turns to face M'gann, but does not stop walking. "I know you're scared of losing him, but we can't keep wasting resources that could be out in the field right now."

"Don't worry babe," Wally says through the mental link shared between he and M'gann. (She had created it just a few minutes before.) "I'll be fine."

Even M'gann couldn't resist his smile. Soon, she was smiling in return.

Out loud, he asks Michael, "What are your orders, captain?"

They group had steadily been heading up levels of the facility. As they proceed higher the corridors become less and less maintained. Cracks are visible in the walls and ceiling, allowing dust to fall through. Higher still, and after passing through guarded doors, Wally notices faint rumbling sounds from above them. Now, more people fill the corridors, some moving along with the three and others sitting at the sides. Their clothes are worn and dirty, yet their faces are dirtier. There are some old and some young, those of which cling to their older family as though their lives depend on it. Wally is about to ask questions when M'gann speaks in his mind.

"I know it seems bad Wally, but it's better than what's outside." M'gann turns her head, listening to the conversations from the last door. They pass into an open area, and are now in a massive underground complex. Hundreds of people roam a makeshift shanty town. Wally can surmise from the layout that it must be some underground train station, but instead of a single or double track there were multiple platforms the houses were built on.

"San Francisco underground repair station," Wally says mentally.

Michael, now included in the mind link, says, "Platform 3. Miss Martian, some cover please." M'gann's eyes glow green, and no change is apparent.  
"Cloak is up," she says.

"Let's go." Michael moves into the streets of people. The two others follow a little behind.

Wally looks around suspiciously, and after a minute, mentally asks the others, "How come no one's looking at us?"

"Because in their minds we're not here," Michael answers. "Miss Martian is blocking any thoughts that pertain to noticing us: they can see us but don't want to pay us any attention."

"It's like a perception filter," M'gann adds.

"Why?"

"Generally, when they see us leave, they get worried we're not coming back." Michael pauses and looks up at a nearby sign. "Here we are."

Wally looks down the line but sees nothing. As the three continue down the track, he notices a black mass concealed in the darkness of the tunnel. Closer now, they can see an armored, worn-out Humvee. The vehicle sits neatly on the line, windows and body painted completely black. A turret operator pokes out of the slot in the roof, appearing menacing with his 50 cal resting under his arm. The three move to the center of the mass: a standard, black-painted train carriage. It's windows were filled in with steel plates which appeared to have been shot at. Wally eyed the gunshot marks. The group stops outside the carriage door. Michael nods to Miss Martian, whose eyes glow green again at the notion.

Michael knocks on the door, and a slot opens. He cannot see inside, but a voice calls out from within.

"Identification?"

Michael clears his throat. "Call signs big blue, big green and little red."

"Hey!" Wally objects in response to this new code name, but he is ignored. The slot closes again, cranks turn, and the door slides open. The three are greeted by a fully armoured and armed, black-clad soldier.

"Welcome aboard, Sir," he says in a strong voice, saluting them. "Alpha and beta squads are ready and waiting." Michael returns the salute, and steps into the carriage.

"Very good, captain. Permission to get underway?"

"Yes sir." The soldier lowers his salute and allows Wally and M'gann on board. He then gives a hand signal outside the door, soon shutting it behind him. The sound of an engine hits Wally's ears, but, strangely, it seems to be coming from in front of the car. Thoughts settle as the sound of another engine starts behind him, and Wally realizes there must be a second Humvee in front of the car, too. With a slight sway, the carriage moves forward and begins its journey into the dark tunnel ahead.

San Francisco Underground  
May 17 08:46 PDT  
2063

A rat crawls along the line of the dark tunnel. The silence disturbed by a sharp sound, sending the rodent fleeing into the shadows as a large black Humvee carriage and another Humvee drive by.

The source of light inside the dark room are three red bulbs, evenly spread along the ceiling of the carriage and creating an ominous glow. The lights shine onto the transported people: twenty heavily armed men in black-ops gear, silently waiting for orders. Michael, dressed similarly, straightens himself and looks out to his men.

"Right, listen up! We have two new additions to the squads today: the Martian Manhunter and the Flash." Michael does not turn back to see Wally's eyes go wide. "These two will be pivotal in the success of today's operation, so we have to cut the traditional welcome rituals for the moment."

He nods to Devastation, who pushes a button on the side of the carriage. A hologram of the city appears in the middle of the area.

"Our target today ladies and gentlemen is a big one-in fact, it's the largest target any of you have ever tried to take." The image zooms in on a large tower just on the outskirt of the city. Wally notices the stats say it is over 900 meters tall. He makes a quiet, appreciative whistle. "The enemies regional communication spire," Michael informs the men, who now begin to murmur between each other. As the murmurs grow louder, Michael yells, "Silence! This spire is one of three in the entire state and is responsible for communication and movement of the enemy for over 125,000 square miles."

Michael looks around at the men. "I intend to blow it up." Like he expected, the men cheer loudly at the news. "The tower's defenses are formidable." The hologram now highlights gun positions and armaments. "A heavy armed garrison of over 1000 parademons, 2 squadrons of hover tanks patrol the airspace around the complex whilst 3 squadrons of dragon tanks and escorts monitor the ground-not to mention, tower based cannons and shielding along its entire length. It took those flying monkeys two months to build this monstrosity and we will take it down in two minutes." The hologram changes to the ground level of the surrounding area of the spire. "After deployment we will assemble here, one mile short of the tower base. Squads 1 and 2, we will then proceed into a self-made tunnel underground the enemy's lines and into the tower." Michael points to red arrows in the hologram, which show the squad's intended route. "Squad 1 will form a perimeter around the tunnel entrance inside while squad 2 will travel into the spire to tower turbo lifts in the central column of the building. Attach an automated charge dispenser to a lift and send it to the top floor, then withdraw to squad 1 then back through the tunnel." The arrows withdraw and red blob ascends the tower, leaving smaller blobs evenly along its clime. "The dispenser place charges along the entire length of the support columns until triggered where all charges detonate simultaneously." Just as Michael finishes his statement, the tower in the hologram explodes.

"How do you know they haven't found the tunnel?" Wally asks.

Michael looks over at the speedster, giving him a sly smile. "Because I haven't made it yet."

A chuckle is heard among the crowd. Wally is left to assume the statement is an inside joke-one he just so happens to be on the outside of. Michael looks back at his men.

"Any questions?"

An officer speaks out. "What if the alarm is tripped before we can achieve the objective?"

"The alarms will already be set off when you enter, but for a different reason: myself, Flash, Devastation and Martian Manhunter will engage the outlining patrols, drawing the majority of the garrison outside to combat us. This should provide you with the opportunity to complete the objective with minimal resistance." Wally opens his mouth to say something when the carriage shudders. The men feel it slowing, and eventually stop. "Squads standard dispersal meet at the rally point in three hours." The doors open and the men jump out, as do Devastation and Miss Martian. Wally is about to follow, but Michael block's the door with his arm before he can pass through.

"Before we go," Michael tells him, "you need something to wear, kid." He leans down and picks up a backpack. He hands it to Wally. "It's time to step up," he adds as he picks up his own bag and a rifle. He chocks the gun, then jumps of the carriage. Wally looks into the backpack, and his eyes grow wide.

San Francisco  
May 17 12:55 PDT  
2063

Ruins are all that are left of the outer city, rock and cement and debris scattered along the streets. Black clouds still hover above, darkening the entire sky. Devastation is on point as the squads' eyes searched for any danger. Michael raised his rifle, checking for possible attacks from the rear. In the center, Miss Martian floats alongside Wally, standing uncomfortably in a new outfit: a black skin suit with body armor attached to the chest, arms, legs and wrists. He wears a helmet, and upon his chest he bears the Flash symbol. Though he is familiar with bearing this symbol, it is different. He is no longer Kid Flash-he is the Flash. Everything feels real to Wally now. His old life is gone. The love of his life is gone. Everything he knew is gone. Now, he is a beacon of hope to all that are left, just like his uncle had been to him. The thoughts become so distracting that he doesn't mind the slow pace the group moves at. His desire to run was overshadowed by the weight he feels on his shoulders. Though the Martian was trying to leave the thoughts of her friend alone, she finally caves and tries to cheer him up.

Through the mind link, she starts with a compliment. "You look good, Wally. I'm certain your uncle would be proud."

"Not exactly how I expected to get this suit." Wally sighs and looks down at the symbol on his chest. "Not sure if I'm ready, to be honest."

"You don't have to do this yet," Miss Martian says. "You can go back to HQ. No one would blame you."

"What kind of hero would I be if I did that?" He smiles to ease her concern. "Speaking of which," he points his thumb behind him at Michael, "what's with Captain Britain back there? What's he got-tunnel-making powers? Was he bitten by a radioactive mole back home." M'gann laughs, and is about to respond when Devastation raises a fist for silence. Everyone freezes as the demigod looks around the area. He then motions to building at end of the street.

"There's the rally point," Devastation says through a mind link. He looks around again, then runs to the building. The others follow quickly him. They all enter a burnt out gas and car repair station. Michael glances at his watch.

"Squads due rally with use in half and hour. We abort in one," Michael says. He looks toward the back of the building. Wally's sees a spire reaching upwards towards the sky and the blur of smaller objects floating around it. "Best get comfortable. Got a long time to wait."

San Francisco  
May 17 13:52 PDT  
2063

Fifteen minutes later, squad one joins the heroes at the gas station. Now the group waits for squad two. Michael checks his watch, losing his patience. "10 minutes," he says. "Then we're pulling out."

"What about your other squad?" Wally asks, eyebrows creased.

"They will know they've missed the window and fall back to extraction point, or would have done so if they suffered casualties 10 mint..."

An officer says, "Sir, squad 2 has been sighted: inbound, west side."

Michael and the heroes go to the side of the building. The second squad enters through a hole in the wall; its leader walks over to Michael as the others enter. The men wear tired expressions and walked with hunched shoulders, and are covered in cuts and grazes.

"Report," Michael commands.

The officer straightens. "Enemy patrol stumbled across us an hour into operation we took them out as quickly as we could then double timed it here"

"Any casualties?"

"2 dead in initial attack, 3 severely wounded," the officer informs him. "I left 5 of the lightly wounded behind to help in evacuating them and the bodies to a extraction point the rest of my squads fit for duty, sir."

"Good job, sergeant. Can the rest of the attachment hold the perimeter of the tunnel when the mission starts?"

The officer grins and nods. "Sir, they're pissed off and ready to kill."

"Have your men rest. I will start on the tunnel demised." The officer salutes, then joins the rest of his men. Michael turns back to others. "Let's get started then." He walks off to the repair station, others following, and to a car sitting there. He jumps into the hole, usually used for the engineer to see the underside. The others look in curiously. The hole is aligned with the tower.

Michael takes off his gloves and pockets the,, giving his hands a little shake and stretch. Then, he takes stance, extending his hands as though he were holding something above him. A flash of blue light appears, causing Wally to blink. In less than a second, a blue drilling machine is that makes wally blink and now before Michael is a blue drilling machine. Michael smiles, and moves his hands forward. Simultaneously, the drill initiates, releasing its impact on the ground. It easily cuts through the holes surrounding the walls and into what lay behind. It continues to leave a large hole, big enough that a man could walk through behind it. Still focused on the task, Michael speaks out. "Not bitten by a radioactive badger, Mr West. I am a Blue Lantern."

San Francisco  
May 17 13:24 PDT  
2063

Over thirty men stand armed and ready for battle. All they have to do at this point is wait. The only noise comes from the earth's movement from the new tunnel being made. Some men distract themselves with watch duties, while others rest and play cards. Off to the side, the three metas discuss the drilling hero.

"So did the lantern corps decide to change colours in the last 50 years or something?" Wally asks, looking between the two women for an answer.

M'gann responds, "No, Wally. Michael is a member of a completely different group of lanterns who use the blue energy to power their rings. There are other colours, but we haven't encountered any of them yet.

Devastation nods, and adds, "Some of the other rumours say its one of the most powerful rings any member can possess." He looks back over his shoulder at the hole Michael is still drilling. "There are stories that he's taken down entire battalions of enemy troops by himself with just those rings."

Wally recalls a conversation he had with the Lanterns about the power source of a ring. Though he found the explanation of power coming from emotion less believable, he new green was will power. So what was Michael's powered by ...Britishness and a stiff upper lip?

"Hope," M'gann tells him, catching Wally off guard. "Michael uses his hope and that of others to wield the rings' power. But as you can tell there isn't a lot of hope in the world lately. He doesn't often use it in direct combat; it requires too much energy."

"The world's greatest hope is a weapon that's out of hope?" Wally says sarcastically. "Greeeat. Can anyone else spell ironic? How'd he get here?"

"A couple of decades ago he was just a standard trooper," Devastation tells him. "One day he went out on a skirmish-the next he came back with the ring and battery. We haven't had a lantern on our side since this war began."

The sound of the earth's movement stops, and Michael calls from the hole.

"We're in!"

The drill disappears, leaving a perfect 6 foot tall, 3 foot wide tunnel in front of him. Other members of the team surround the hole he currently stands in. "Both squads prepare for combat weapons," he says. "Check to deploy in 1 minute." In a scurry of movement, Devastation lifts Michael from the hole. "Thank you, sergeant."

Michael calls for another soldier, and the man stops and looks at his leader. "You have half an inch left to go before you're inside. Prepare for a preach bang and clear. We will wait for you at the end of the tunnel before beginning the diversion." The man nods and jumps into the hole, then into the tunnel entrance. The rest of the men follow, leaving Michael, M'gann and Wally and Devastation. "They have 1.23 miles to cover before they are at the other end. Shall we discuss our tactics?"

After fifteen minutes of discussion, the plan is set. Miss Martian would attack the surrounding air units in camouflage-mode to cause as much disruption as possible; Michael will attack from long range with his rings; Flash and Devastation will hold the perimeter. Now, they just waiting. Michael rests against wall while the others busy themselves with their own activities. However, Wally kept on looking back at the man. As if sensing the speedster's gaze was upon him, Michael calls out to him without opening his eyes. "Yes Flash?"

"How'd you get it?"

Michael chuckles. "It's a rather long tale, Mr West."

"We seem to have time, Mr Greenway," Wally replies. Michael's eyes open at the name, but smiles at Wally's firm attitude.

"Very well. M'gann, if you'd please." The four enter the mind of Michael, a completely white room. "It all began at the beginning of my life, I guess. I was born in America to a British diplomat." As he says it, a woman appears beside him. She has chin-length brown hair and warm, brown eyes. "And a British marine charged with protecting the conciliate in dc, I was born the day of the invasion. My parents managed to escape with me and the other troops to the outskirts of the city before the last pockets of resistance fell and ground forces were sent in to cleanse any more resistant members of the population. After that, all we could do was survive." An image appears in his mind: a young boy learning to walk into a woman's arms. She is grinning at the child, meanwhile the father stands to the side, looking out the window with rifle in hand. The image changes to a slightly older boy, now being taught to read by his mother-all the while, his father remains on guard at the window.

"They made certain to teach me all that had happened," Michael said, almost grimly, "so we did not lose what we had. But most importantly, they told me never to give up, for a new day always brings a new hope of change."

The teenage boy aims his gun at the target as his father stands close behind instructing and guiding him. "Over time we met others like us. We helped one another, protected one another. Eventually we joined up with the resistance." The father and son stand with a group of armed men, shooting at the unseen enemy. "And every new day we fought back, every new day we were still there. I finally understood the meaning of hope because I was living it. And even on the sad days..."

A grown man stands in front of two graves, a tear rolling down his cheek. Michael stiffened, his back straightening.

"I still fought on," he said, a hint of emotion in his voice, "in the hope I would take back what's was ours again and restore humanity back to it full glory. I did so for many years." Images flash by of battles, with blood and death, defeats and victories. "And then that night it came to me."

The images slow, and a ruined city night appears, along with Michael in his mid-thirties, who crawls through a ruined building alone.

"I had been cut off from my unit in an ambush and was trying to get back to base I was stationed in Denver at the time when I first heard it," he explains.

The sky rumbles, and Michael looks up in fear of enemy ships. But the rumbles subsided-now he heard bangs and explosions and saw flashes of red and blue light the sky.

"I didn't know what to make of it first then they started falling."

Michael sees a black object pierce the cloud line, which then continues to plummet towards Earth and crash into the ground. Michael's younger form crawls over to the charged remains of the hover tank, not focusing on the sky above him. He takes cover as another wreak crashes to Earth, smashing through a nearby charged building. The group watches as younger Michael takes cover from the many flashes and bangs in the sky; ships are falling from the blackened sky as if like rain.

An almighty boom sounds from above, a blinding flash of blue light spreading out across the sky. Everyone looks up through squinted eyes as the wave continues, but smaller explosion could be seen throughout the sky. As the blue wave passes, the amount of force had parted the cloud cover. The group watched as young Michael looks up to the stars for the first time in decades-and in the centre of open sky shined a blue light. For a few seconds the light held its place and the groups gaze then fell to earth. Like a falling star, it meets the ground in the far distance. The group returns its gaze to the younger Michael, who without hesitation took off towards the fallen object.

"Some people would say I ran due to curiosity. But I knew. I knew what it was before it hit the ground." Young Michael jumps over rubble, climbs walls, never stopping. Soon he comes to a sliding stop, bathing in the glow of the blue light. His eyes gaze into a small crater in the centre where the blue light emanates. Michael stares wide-eyed, distracted for a moment by beauty, but quickly snaps out of it and lowers himself into the crater. He slowly walks towards the centre and light. His hand shades his eyes from the brightness, but is then extended towards light without fear. He slowly advances reach. "The flight long says the previous lantern was called Saint Walker and had been assigned to this sector of the galaxy, but warned not to travel to our system because it was too dangerous."

Wally snickered. "He obviously didn't follow that advice."

"He was trying to do the right thing, kid," Michael says. "The log registered that he had successfully breached the outer defences before being overwhelmed by apocalyptic air defence. He took out 57 ships before a lucky shot clipped his battery, causing a discharge that killed him and took out every airborne ship within a hundred miles from the shock wave. He destroyed more of the enemy in 5 minutes then we did in the 30 years before he came." A bright light had now dissipated. All look upon the blue ring floating above a pile of cracked blue crystals. Once again, young Michael reaches out his hand, his finger extended. "Then it chose its next user." Just as he is about to touch it, the ring flies onto his finger. Young Michael pulls back, looking at his finger that was now garbed with ring. The blue light shines brightly, then fades. The visions also fade as team stands, now back in real world. "And that's pretty much that."

"Wow," Wally mutters. His eyebrows crease as a thought occurs to him. "Wait, why didn't you go and get help?"

"Ring didn't have a full charge," he answers. "And like I said, battery was damaged. Didn't have enough juice to leave the system."

"What about Mars? Couldn't you get some help from them?" Silence falls, and Michael glances at Miss Martian, who had risen her hood.

"M'gann, you haven't-" Michael starts, but is interrupted by a radio transmission coming from his belt.

"Big blue, this is home wreaker. Ready to breach, bang and clear on your signal." Michael pulls out the radio as the others refocus on the task ahead.

Michael speaks into the radio. "Roger that, home wreaker. Ready to begin op on my order." He looks to the others around him. "Everybody ready?" They all nod. "Okay then." Michael takes a step back into the centre of the room and points the ring at the ground. Blue light shines and takes the form of an artillery cannon/ Michael stands behind and to the side of it, checking sight. He smiles, and steps back. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

There is a massive roar as the cannon fires and recoils, pushing backwards. The projectile's aim is true and slams into one of the patrolling hover tanks, causing it to disintegrate in a massive explosion. Within seconds the ships scatter, lights burst on and flare sirens sound. The entire tower searches for a threat as the second shell hits another flying enemy tank. Michael lifts the radio to lips, shouting. "GO GO GO!" There is no time for a confirmation as the cannon fires its third round into the mass of forces now heading their way.

San Francisco  
May 17 14:47 PDT  
2063

A hover tank glides through the air, guns firing as its main cannon charges. Just as it is about to fire, a barrel is clogged with the axle of a truck. The alien ship explodes in a fireball, sending debris all around it. The area surrounding the spire is now a battlefield. Garrison runs out to meet the small enemy force. Dragon tanks grind forward, shooting flames of destruction from their metal heads. Hover tanks fill the sky and parademons swarm forward like ravening beasts. Many are shot down by the destructive blue waves. Michael stands in the station, having switched out his artillery cannon for a quadruple barreled anti-aircraft cannon. He is now peppering the skies with flack.

Through the mind link, he says, "M'gann, a squad of hover tanks is forming for a strafing run, right flank. Take em out." He is currently manning the cannon and aims at a closing wing of flying parademons. He fires, cutting them down right out of the sky.

"On it," M'gann replies before flying into the air. She is in camouflage, soaring above the areas of chaos of the alien fortresses. She reaches out with her mind and slams the outside ship into the center of the formation; the collision causing a destructive explosion. "How are things going on the ground?"

Wally is dodging a swipe from the parademons' spears. He rapidly closes in and delivers hundreds of super-speed punches to its face. In less than a second, the demon is down and the Flash is on to another.

"Doing fine Miss M," he says enthusiastically through the mind link. "Loving the fact I've got room to move." Wally runs off at super-speed, zigzagging around the battlefield. Dozens of troops get knocked to the ground before he comes to a stop, knocking out one last monster that was creeping up on Devastation. "And loving the new speed, too." He turns to Devastation, who currently has parademon in a headlock. Wally punches it in the face, and it collapses to the ground, limp. "How you doing, Devey?"

Devastation close lines a swooping demon with no show of difficulty.

"I swear, Red, if you call me that one more time-" Devastation kicks the demon's body into the air, where it collides with more airborne members of its kind. "-you'll be the fastest man alive with a limp." A red laser is fired, hitting its surrounding grounds. As the next wave of enemies approach, the two split up. Devastation yells a battle cry and super-leaps into the flying hoard.

At the gas station, demos are pouring through every gap in the the building. Michael had constructed a missile battery, which was firing into the sky. It's creator, on the other hand, had his handgun drawn in his left hand and was shooting rapidly at the besieging force. Meanwhile, his right hand kept steady its blue creation. Having taken cover behind burnt-out tool shelves, Michael sees demons attacking the battery to little effect. He concentrates, and an anvil shoots out of the missile, colliding with the demons' faces and knocking them out. The anvil retracts, and the enemy fire pierces his cover beside him, forcing him to retract the battery and form a shield around himself.

"Heads up guys. Just lost our main defense. They're going to start pouring onto your positions now." Michael stands and four blue mini-guns form on his shoulders and arms. The fire swirls, cutting through the enemy intruders.

"Copy that," Miss Martian replies as she flies underneath the tank, physically ripping out its main engine and causing it to drop out of the sky. It lands in a dragon tank below. She send out a mental link to the marines inside. "Home wreakers, what's your progress?"

Inside the spire, a marine pries open a set of doors, revealing the bottom of an elevator shaft. He looks in and sees a descending elevator. Quickly, he pulls out a large disk and throws at the fast approaching metal box. It attaches magnetically, and the marine shuts the door. His hand signals tell other marines that the enemy is about to exit the door. The squads point their guns at the door. As the doors slide open, there is a nothing but the sound of gunfire. A few seconds later, shooting stops. The marine walks back to elevator and pushes a button to send it back to top floor. "Home wreaker reports," he says in the mind link. "Package is away. T minus 15 minutes till detonating commencing evac." The marines start heading back down the corridor they originally came from.

"Teams evacuating," M'gann says. "Now 15 minutes till detonation."

"Roger that," Michael replies. He has cleared out building, and again the missile pod forms overhead and fires into the approaching dragon tank. "Flash and Devastation, start falling back to my position." He fires another series of missiles.

Fighting was now fiercer than ever now that the team had been pushed back to single position, but still they fought, continuing to defend the rubble that was now the former walls of the building. Eventually, marines began pouring out of tunnel to reinforce them. One marine fired a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher into an enemy squad that had taken shelter in the opposite building.

"How much longer sergeant?" Michael asks.

"Less than a minute, sir," the marine tells him. "Unfortunately, we're within the blast radius of the debris."

"Don't worry about that. Marines to me! Form square." They follow their leader's instruction, now circling Michael in the center. Guns are still firing, directed out of the building. Even Devastation had picked up a rifle from a fallen marine and Wally threw rumble at the enemy just as fast as any bullet. Miss Martian is concentrating on slowing down projects coming towards them. Half the number of men from the start still remain, yet the enemy still advances on the small group of resistance.

The marine announces, "10 seconds!" Michael holsters his rifle and points his fist towards the sky; a blue blue light extends upwards then curves back down, forming a dome around him and the remaining teammates. the force field blocks barrage of enemy fire-now, with no fire to stop them, parademons swarm in and begin clawing at the shield. "5,4,3,2,1."

Michael smiles and waves to the enemies outside. "Goodbye." The tower explodes, light bursting from the base and followed upward by other explosions. The few who turn to see were blinded and have little time to react. Massive chunks of the structure begin to rain down like death in an instant. During the next 5 seconds everything within a one mile radius of spire is dead-except for few humanoids inside a blue bubble. They all grin.

The return home is easy, and the welcome they receive from base is intense. The entire shanty town population was cheering as the Humvee powered train pulled into the station; the men exited it are lifted up onto the peoples' shoulders. The defeat of their lifelong oppressors creates the most celebration and joy the town has seen in a long time.

Even in the excitement, Michael is able to slip away and return to his office. He pulls open his office drawer to look at the remains of what was once a great power source. He puts his ringed fist to the crystals and absorbs some of the energy that dwindled within, sighing contentedly. Michael sits down at his desk, looking at the ring.

"Report power consumption and remaining energy level," he says.

The rings respond, "Last expenditure: 2.56%; Current recharge rate: 1.05% per day- an increase of 0.2%; Monitored within last 24 hours. Energy charge remaining in ring: 8.02%."

* * *

**Update: Andiree has known she was unable to commit and will no longer be writing episodes, so this is her last.**


	9. Loss

**Story by Darksuperboy**

**Written by me**

* * *

Central City

August 22

16:27 CST

2016

Late afternoon sunlight pleasantly warmed the park. The summer weather had been good to the plant life making everything grow and flourish. The grass was a healthy shade of dark green and soft to the touch, carefully manicured around the concrete paths crisscrossing the area. Tall trees dotted the lawns creating ample shade for the park's occupants to lounge in. A few couples walked along the paths, some hand in hand, others with their arms around one another. Children chased each other across the grass, caught up in games of epic battles and thrills. A small playground was teeming with them, each one the ruler of their own castle. Parents stood nearby or sat on benches, keeping watch over their precious charges. Everything in the park seemed new and full of life, even the white stone statue that stood at its center. It depicted a young man standing proudly, a lightning bolt emblazoned on his chest. At the base, "In Memory of Kid Flash" had been chiseled into the stone.

It hadn't taken the people long to figure out that the speedster protecting their city had changed; even after half a decade of unexplained inactivity, memory of news reports and close personal rescues for some, it wasn't hard to tell the Kid Flash they had seen lately was not the same one as before. The way he spoke while baiting criminals, the look in his eyes behind the goggles, and even the way he ran was different. Coupled with the disappearance of Impulse, Central City had come to the conclusion that the Kid Flash the once knew was gone. Though some though perhaps the mantle had simply been taken up by the new hero, others assumed the worst. Weeks passed with camera crews and news anchors trying and failing to keep up with him, constant questions flying at him faster than he could get away from them, the day finally came when the truth had come out. A short time later the statue had been erected in his honor, a reminder of the hero they had lost.

The park had reopened, greeting floods of people coming to pay their respects. Flowers in the thousands had been placed around the statue nearly hiding its feet at times. People from outside the city and even other heroes showed up periodically to place fresh flowers on the memorial. On these occasions the park's visitors would grow quiet, letting them honor their friend in peace.

On this day, a bright green pelican landed near the statue, its arrival laying a hush over the park as if the volume had been turned down on the world. A cluster of brightly colored flowers was handing from its bill. Water sloshing out as it moved. Suddenly appearing near the tree tops, Miss Martian floated down next to the bird, gently taking the flowers. After dumping the water from its mouth the pelican morphed into a young boy, the tail and green fur making him easily recognizable as Beast Boy. He looked up at the girl next to him, a questioning look in his eyes. She simply nodded and held out her hand, offering him the flowers, the exchange occurring without words.

The boy sighed and straightened his shoulder before walking forward with short but confident strides. He stopped at the base of the statue, leaning back to look up at its smiling face. Kneeling slowly, he placed the flowers between the statues feet, lifting his other arm to wipe under his eyes with his sleeve covered hand. Miss Martian took a few steps to kneel next to him, pulling Beast Boy into a gentle comforting hug. Beast Boy leaned into her returning the hug, before he pulled away, changing shape into a hawk, still green as always. With one last glance at the statue, the pair took to the air once more, leaving the park still in silence.

Watchtower

August 22

16:45 CST

"_Recognized. _

_Miss Martian B05_

_Beast Boy B19"_

Batgirl, Superboy, and Aqualad all turned to the zeta tubes as the arrival was announced. Miss Martian and Beast Boy stepped away from the fading light and into the room. It was empty except for the trio standing there.

"Hi guys. Sorry we're late." Beast Boy said with a small wave at them. No one said anything about their tardiness. The Team had been on a weekly rotation, leaving flowers at the Memorial for the hero, as well as at the grave for their friend.

"It is alright." Aqualad replied with a partial smile. "Now that you are here, we may begin." He turned and gestured to the screen on the computer Batgirl was operating. On it was an image of four women.

"The League took a particular interest in that attack on Star Labs last week. The investigation uncovered trace particles left behind by the attackers." Batgirl said quickly as she typed. The image on the screen changed to magnified microscopic scraps of metal. "Analysis revealed they aren't made of any mineral or element found on Earth."

"That fits with what they said during their little show." Superboy added crossing his arms over his chest. "That plus the boom tubes means they're probably from Apokolips.  
"Apokolips?" Beast Boy looked at them all confused. "What's Apokolips?"

"It's a world we've had trouble with from time to time." Superboy replied turning to look at him. "They provide groups like Intergang with unfriendly technology."

"What may be more concerning is that these people may be the source of the Light's advanced technology and weaponry; it is possible they have been partners since the very beginning." Aqualad interjected. After a brief passaged of silence he glanced around at the others. All of them were looking at him, more than a few eyebrows raised. "The map Nightwing and the others acquired show the trajectory of the War World. It appears it to have been on a course for Apokolips, though Vandal Savage's plans are still unknown." The screen in front of them showed a diagram of the War World, a path of flashing arrows marking its passage towards the planet.

"That would explain how they got their hands on the boom tubes." Superboy put in seeing the logic behind the theory.

"The Alien Oversight Committee has thus far prevented the League from gathering information on Apokolips off the planet, meaning we have been forced to look for information elsewhere on Earth." Aqualad's voice concealed all but the barest hint of irritation.

"Intergang." Superboy guessed.

"Precisely." Batgirl chimed in still typing. "But with the entire UN hunting down all the alien technology on the planet, tracking them has gotten a lot more difficult than it used to be. The majority of the Team has been deployed to check out any possible leads, but so far we don't have anything concrete. That's where we come in. We'll be taking a look into a new lead in what used to be North Rhelasia."

"We will travel by Bioship. If anyone is monitoring the zeta tubes, it is best they do not know our destination."

Rhelasia

August 23

07:05 NST

Though dawn was nearly approaching the stars still shined brightly, the dark blue of the sky just barely beginning to fade to a lighter shade on the distant horizon. A ripple passed through the air, the bioship cutting a speedy path over the fields and small farm houses that covered the rural countryside. The few animals beginning to stir looked up as the passed, only mildly interested, but none concerned. Inside the ship, Miss Martian sat at the controls, piloting the ship easily while glancing around at the others in their seats.

"ETA to drop zone is approximately three minutes." Batgirl called out into the silent ship. It remained quiet until the masked girl turned her seat around quite suddenly, her gaze trained on the Kryptonian behind her. "So Conner I've two tickets to a music festival in Gotham this weekend and of course Batman ruins fun so I can't go. If you want one please take it."

He just stared at her blinking, surprised by the nature of the conversation as well as the use of his name in the field, even if they were only with the Team. "Errr." The sound was all he could manage.

"Good that's one. What about you M'Gann? Do you want the other one?" Batgirl's chair swiveled again, this time facing the rear of the ship.

Miss Martian blinked at her almost as flabbergasted as Superboy had been. "Um, no thanks. I'm actually busy this weekend. I already made plans."

"No you're not." Beast Boy said rather loudly. "You told me you were going to be bored all weekend because you had nothing to do." Miss Martian blushed, the reddening of her cheeks standing out against her skin.

"That's settled then. You two have a good time!" With that last word, Batgirl's chair returned to its original position, all chance of compliant and protest disappearing with her face. Behind her, Beast Boy was grinning and trying not to laugh while Miss Martian and Superboy did their best to avoid looking at one another.

After a few long minutes, a small mountain range came into view, the ship turning towards one of the taller peaks. Nestled there was an old building, some parts of it beginning to fall in.

"A monastery. An abandoned one by the looks of it." Batgril said quietly in response to Beast Boy's mouth beginning to open. He snapped it closed no longer needing to ask his question, and then stood up preparing to exit the ship with the rest of the Team. The ship hovered over one of the more stable looking sections of the building, a hole opening in the underside. One at a time they jumped out, then off the building onto the ground, Miss Martian the last to leave. She floated down slowly, her shoulder creating a perch for Beast Boy in the shape of a falcon as she touched the ground.

Looking around cautiously, Aqualad lifted one hand and tapped his temple, casting a meaningful glance at Miss Martian.

_Everyone linked? _She called after reaching out to their minds. Confirmation came from each of them, a few nods and yeses resounding in her mind as well. _We're good to go._

_We must cover as much ground as we can, as quickly as possible. Beast Boy and Batgirl, you will come with me to the north and east sides, Superboy and Miss Martian to the south and west. Meet back here in one hour. _Aqualad dealt out the orders and took off with Batgirl and Beast Boy behind him, leaving the other two alone.

_Well this is the south side, so I guess we should get started. _Miss Martian offered, hoping to avoid an awkward silence. Superboy just nodded making his way into the building. A quarter of an hour passed with the two moving quietly through the monastery checking every room they came to. Most of them were empty, others filled with nothing but rubble and dust. Monotony began to weigh on Miss Martian as there search wore on. "Sorry about Batgirl. I didn't know she was going to do that. Especially not when she did."

"Figures." Superboy half snorted closing the door he had just opened. It led to closet that had turned out to be just as empty as the other rooms. He turned away from the door and looked at her. "Look if you don't want to come-"

"Oh no, no I don't mind it at all I just thought…" Miss Martian shrugged halfheartedly. "I thought you might want to invite someone else is all."

"Why wouldn't I want to invite you?" Superboy asked suddenly looking straight into her eyes. "M'Gann I-" His mouth closed as he turned away.

Miss Martain waited a few moments. "Conner?"

_Shh. I heard something. _He continued down the corridor, leaving her feeling strangely irritated. With an exasperated sigh, she lifted into the air and floated down the corridor to catch up to him. She slowed and came to a stop just behind him, looking over his shoulder.

The corridor ended in balcony of sorts, the landing opening into a larger room with high vaulted ceilings, a set of stairs off to the side leading down to the lower level. A dirt floor was sparsely littered with hay, large double doors at the far end of the room leaking in weak sunlight and fresh air through gaps in the wooden planks. It could have easily once been a stable, but was now home to a large truck. The bed was flat, but covered by a canvas canopy. Six men stood around the room, two appearing to stand watch while the rest moved from the truck to the surrounding rooms, loading boxes from inside of them onto the vehicle. They were all bundled up against the cold mountain weather, the only oddity in their dress being the overly large guns strapped across their backs. Staring wide eyed at the scene, Miss Martian and Superboy flattened themselves to the ground on the balcony, raising up just enough to look over the edge.

_Aqualad! We found some members of Intergang on the south west end of the building. It looks like a stable. They're loading boxes onto a truck. I can't tell how much is left, but I don't think they'll be sticking around long._ Miss Martian's words came out rapidly.

_Copy that. We are on our way. _As if Aqualad's response were a cue, the pair pulled away from the railing and looked at each other.

_So what's the plan? _Superboy asked. Before Miss Martian could respond the sudden thudding sound from below them cut her off. Fire and smoke billowed up around them and the next moment the wooden planks of the floor beneath them cracked and splintered, unceremoniously dumping them in a pile on the dirt floor of the level below. Miss Martian laid flat on the ground, the brief heat exposure weighing on her heavily.

Superboy looked at her shaking his head, attempting to clear his vision as well as force away the ringing in his ears. He blinked rapidly, the sight of the men now standing around them becoming clearer. They each had their weapons trained on the pair, the ends of the barrels dominating most of his view. Just beyond them, he could just see a tall man with shockingly blonde hair, a strange white mask covering his face.

"Well, well, well." Sportsmaster's voice was a menacing chuckle. "Look at what we have here."

Rhelasia

August 23

07:35 NST

Superboy sat up, leaning over to Miss Martian; she blinked at him a little bleary eyed, but seemed to be recovering from the stun. The pair stared up at the ring of guns surrounding them, Sportsmaster staring back with his arms crossed over his chest. His masked face was expressionless, yet somehow unbearably ominous at the same time.

"Looks like we've got some uninvited guests." He said laughing low and without humor.

_Aqualad, we've been compromised. _Miss Martian's voice sounded only slightly weak now, but she remained lying on the floor.

_We are nearly to your location._ Aqualad's reply came quickly, sounding confident despite the situation.

"Waste them." Sportsmaster cut off the telepathic conversation, as he stepped back, the men around them preparing to fire, the sharp click of bullets sliding into their firing chambers surprisingly loud in the large room. Before anyone could pull their triggers, Miss Martian's eyes began to glow a brilliant fluorescent green sending the men around them flying away into the far walls without even raising her hands. Sportsmaster was left standing, tossing a small metal discus at them. It stopped just before hitting Superboy, holding in midair like the men pinned against the walls, Sportsmaster flying backwards to join them.

"Well that was…" Superboy's mouth closed as the disc emitted a beep, another following shortly after. The succession continued with the beeps getting closer together. His eyes widened as he realized what would happen next, rolling over on top of Miss Martian where she still laid. A moment later the disc exploded in a massive ball of flame. Miss Martian shrieked in surprise and shock at the heat, her focus broken and releasing the men around them. Sportsmaster dropped to the ground, landing nimbly on his feet.

"Forget the gear! Let's go!" He shouted, ushering his men to the truck. They all stumbled to their feet, collecting guns and other dropped items, making a bee line for the truck.

Superboy pushed himself up on his hands shaking his head again. He looked down at Miss Martian, seeing she was now completely unconscious. An angered growl escaped him as he started to get to his feet and turned around to find Sportsmaster, his face set in a scowl. His expression didn't have time to change to surprise as a rather large metallic ball collided with his face, the sudden force knocking him off balance. Sportsmaster smirked at the accomplishment and sprinted away, leaping into the back of the truck as the engine roared to life. The truck began to pull away, picking up speed and smashing through the still closed double doors, large splinters of wood raining down around the room as it plowed through and out onto the road carved into the side of the mountain.

Aqualad, Beast Boy, and Batgirl appeared on the balcony, each of them staring wide eyed at the ruined state of the room. The truck picked up speed, fishtailing for a moment as it lost traction before righting itself on the road. Superboy was standing up, already moving to follow it, breaking into a run. Sportsmaster disappeared inside the canopy of the truck, only to reappear a moment later wielding a long spear, a wicked gleam in his eyes. He watched as the clone leaped into the air, arching straight towards the truck, collapsing the canopy as he landed just in front of the masked man. The sudden jolt had the vehicle swerving again, all of its passengers lurching to one side, Sportsmaster somehow maintaining his balance and hefting the spear forward aiming straight at the hero's torso. Superboy caught the end of the spear easily, glaring at the man.

"You're going to have to do better than that." He said smoothly.

"Agreed." Sportsmaster grinned and pressed his hand into the bottom of the spear. The head of the spear sprang apart, the metallic shell revealing an interior point, glowing bright green. "I figured it would be a good idea to invest in some better weapons with you hanging around my little girl and all."

"Kryp-" Superboy's grip on the spear loosened, as Sportsmaster pushed forward, imbedding it in his shoulder, ripping an involuntary scream from him.

"Seems well worth the money." Sportsmaster's voice almost giddy as he leaned sideways to look over Superboy's shoulder. A green cheetah was racing after them, nimbly navigating the terrain. "Next time you see my baby girl, tell her daddy says hello." With a sharp jerk, he twisted the spear breaking off the tip, leaving it buried in Superboy's shoulder. He raised one leg, kicking him off of the back of the truck.

Superboy sailed through the air then rolled across the ground, sliding to a halt on the rocky ground. Beast Boy's eyes widened and he pressed his paws into the ground, skidding to a clumsy stop next to him. He looked down at Superboy, lying face down on the ground, morphing into his humanoid self.

"Conner!" Beast Boy reached out and pulled on his arm, rolling the clone over.

"Agh!" Superboy pushed him away, shaking slightly. His face was covered in sweat, his breath coming in short ragged gasps. Beast Boy stared at his limp body, completely baffled, until he noticed his hand was covered in blood.

_M'Gann!_ Beast Boy's telepathic scream received no answer. He looked around, panicking starting to take hold of him when a beep went off in his ear. "Agh!"

_"Aqualad to Beast Boy." _The static from his earpiece quieted, making Aquald's voice clearer.

Beast Boy lifted his clean hand, fumbling to activate his communicator. "Kaldur! Conner's hurt! I don't know what to do!" He started shaking Superboy's shoulder, desperately trying to wake him, this time receiving no response.

_"Calm down, Beast Boy. Tell me what has happened." _

"I don't know! He was fighting Sportsmaster and now's he's just laying here bleeding! Really bad!" Beast Boy took a few breaths trying to calm himself to no avail. "I can't get him to wake up now."

_"Okay, Beast Boy just breathe. You can't help him unless you calm down." _Batgirl's voice was just as smooth as Aqualad's. "You need to try to stop the bleeding, or at least slow it down. We're taking care of Miss M, but we'll be right there. You're only 300 meters away. If you think you can move him, start coming back this way now."

Beast Boy sniffled finding himself almost in tears for the second time that day. He put out his hand and touched Superboy's shoulder taking a few deep breaths. "Okay, I can do this."

_"Good, Beast Boy."_ Aqualad sounded encouraging as always.

Looking down at his bloody hands, Beast Boy stood up and looked back towards the monastery.

Rhelasia

August 23

07:48 NST

Miss Martian's eyes opened slowly, several blinks following to clear the blurry film from her vision. A figure she couldn't quite make out stood over her, a muffled sound repeatedly assaulting her ears. Her head was pounding, the strange headachy sensation making her feel ill.

"Miss Martian, can you hear me? M'Gann?" Aquala's voice was quiet and soothing, but still sent waves of pain through her head. As she lifted one hand to her forehead, the pain made its way through the rest of her body, but she sat up anyway, supported by one of his webbed hands against her back. "Are you alright?"

"I feel like a piece of toast, but I'll live." Miss Martian replied rubbing her temple. She turned her head slowly taking in the destroyed bits of the room. "Where's Superboy?"

Aqualad opened his mouth, but anything he might have said was drowned out by a thunderous bellowing. He turned around, seeing Batgirl jump away from the ruined doors as Beast Boy charged through them, a green elephant with something wrapped up in his trunk.

"Conner!" Miss Maritan's eyes widened and she lifted herself from the floor, ignoring whatever pain she felt, and landed on the ground next to Beast Boy. His trunk was unfolding, gently laying Superboy on the ground. Batgirl and Aqualad were close behind her, all of the kneeling to look at their friend. Miss Martian reached out one hand and gently touched his shoulder where his T-shirt was darkening. He jerked away, a horrifying scream tearing out of his throat. Flinching at the sound, she stroked his hair and the side of his face, slowly ripping the hole in shirt wider. A gaping wound was all they could see, blood welling out of it still, though slower than it had before. The skin around it was puffy and beginning to turn green, black vine like wisps spreading out across skin. "Shh. You'll be okay."

Beast Boy shifted back and sat down on the ground next to her, finally letting himself shed a few tears. Miss Martian turned to him, her voice no longer soft.

"What happened?" She demanded.

"S-sportsmaster. He- M'Gann!" Beast Boy blinked watching as she flew off in a sudden rush of air.

"M'Gann wait!" Batgirl called out racing to the door. _M'GANN!_

Aqualad sighed watching the girl disappear. "We must help Superboy."

"It has to be Kryptonite. It's the only thing that could do this to him." Batgirl nodded turning back to the rest of them, opening one of the pouches in her belt and pulling out a large set of tweezers. "Hold him down."

"That was great! I mean did you see the way he just kicked him off the truck?" The men inside the truck laughed, the sound almost drowned out by the engine and the whistle of the wind as they sped down the mountain.

"I guess that's one less S shield we have to worry about." Another said laughing still. His comment was followed by a few nods, the idea having not quite been processed by a few. A high pitched squeal blended with the rubbery grinding of the tires on stone as the man driving suddenly slammed his foot down on the brakes. The men inside tumbled forward a few rolling over each other, the boxes they were sitting on sliding around the bed. It continued to tip forward, startled yells coming from the cab as it tipped up on its nose, then started to fall to the side, all four wheels coming off the ground. Hanging on to the rolls bars holding the canopy up, the men managed to stay inside the vehicle as it jumped suddenly as if they'd hit a speed bump. It rocked a bit, before falling over and righting itself, the tires oriented to the ground.

"Hey!" One man stood up and straightened his jacket, slamming his palm down on the roof of the cab. "Watch where you're driving!"

A sharp whip like crack followed as the canvas was ripped away from the truck, leaving the men inside scrambling away from the edges of the bed. There was nothing but open space around them, a dramatic dark drop below them. The truck hovered suspended, the road a significant distance away. Miss Martain appeared, hovering upwards from below the truck. Her short hair whipped in the wind, eyes completely eclipsed by the menacing green glow.

"Where is Sportsmaster?" She demanded raising her hands slowly.

"Are you crazy?! Put us down!" One of the men spoke up, his face betraying his terror as he looked over the edge. Miss Martian's eyes narrowed and she rotated her hands, the truck following their movement and beginning to tip again. As it creaked she stilled, holding it in place.

"Where is Sportsmaster?" She demanded again, her voice growing harsher.

"He took off! He jumped out of the truck about a minute after he stabbed your hero pal!" Another replied watching with wide eyes as the crates began to shift, one of the tumbling out of the truck, lost in the darkness below. "We don't know where he is now!"

Miss Martian growled but continued her questioning. "Where were you taking these crates?" One of the men snapped and raised his gun, preparing to fire at the Martian, when it was yanked from his grasp. The weapon floated over to the girl, where she stared at it for a moment before it began to crumple and collapse on itself until it was nothing but a shapeless hunk of metal.

"We don't know, absolutely no idea! Sportsmaster was supposed to tell us on the way!" The most frightened of the men gasped out. Miss Martian turned to him, waiting for him to continue, already sensing truth in his words. "All we hear are rumors alright? It used to be easier to get our hands on this stuff, but now it's nearly impossible! And it ain't cause the world's cracked down on the tech either! Buyers can't get anything, because nobody's selling. Not just jacking up prices, just straight up not selling. It's all we know I swear!"

Miss Martian's eyes narrowed further, her usual habit of reaching for more sneaking up on her, but she pushed it away, thoughts of Conner returning to her. She floated back towards the road, righting the truck and taking it with her. Some of the men began to relax, one letting out and audible sigh, before the truck picked up speed. It dropped quickly, impaling itself on a sharp outcropping of rock twenty feet below the road.

"Wait here. The authorities will be here for you soon." Miss Martian said with a smile. As the men clambered over each other to get a good hold on the sturdy part of the truck she turned and flew away.

Miss Martian flew back towards the monastery, irritation pricking at her. Sportsmaster had gotten away, already far enough to escape her psychic range. The wind had picked up, a storm beginning to brew around the mountains. The sun hadn't risen high enough to shine there yet, making it bitterly cold without the source of warmth. A dim light was shining from the stable, growing brighter as she neared it. Over the sound of the wind, a heart wrenching scream reached her ears, forcing her to fly faster and land already running. She stopped and gasped just inside the door pressing a hand to her mouth to stifle it.

Batgirl's back was to her, but she appeared to be sitting atop Superboy, her knees digging into the dirt floor as he struggled, seemingly trying to get away from her. Another cry of pain sounded around the room, this time obviously coming from his, one leg slamming into the ground hard enough to create a rather deep dent. Her initial shock fading, Miss Martian ran farther into the room, circling around the other side. Aqualad was leaning all his weight on one of Superboy's arms, a gorilla shaped Beast Boy clinging to the other, keeping them flat to the floor. Both of them appeared to be struggling to maintain their grip. Batgril was leaning over, her face close to Superboy's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Miss Martian exclaimed, looking at each of them. No one spoke as Batgirl continued to work.

"I've almost got it." Batgirl said glancing at Superboy's face. A few moments later she jerked her hand up, a shard of glowing green stone clasped tightly in a set of tweezers. Blood coated the rock as well as the tweezers and her gloved hands. Superboy's struggles stopped and he went limp once more as Batgirl studied the stone and tucked it away in her belt. "It doesn't look like any pieces broke off."

Miss Martian knelt down next to Superboy as Aqualad and Beast Boy released his arms. Batgirl stood up just a bit awkwardly and stepped away, returning the tweezers to her belt. Color began to return to the clone's face, his hand still somewhat cold to the touch as Miss Martian picked one of them up, holding it tightly.

"Were you able to apprehend Sportsmaster and his men?" Aqualad asked bringing her back to the present, but not taking her attention from Superboy's face.

"Sportsmaster got away, but the rest of them are secured until the authorities arrive."

Aqualad waited a moment, before deciding that was all she was going to say. He sighed quietly and stood up. "Batgirl and I will return to the ship to report to Watchtower and pilot it down here. Beast Boy make another round to make sure we have not missed anything." He looked down at Miss Martian, content to leave her where she was for time being. As the others left the room, she continued to stare at Superboy, gently brushing his hair away from his face.

Watchtower

August 22

20:06 CST

The medical ward inside the Watchtower was dimly lit and quiet. Conner was lying on one of the beds, sleeping soundly, his breathing now deep and even, a pleasant improvement from the horrible raggedness from before. At the foot of the bed Wolf snored quietly on the ground, a smaller wolf shaped Gar tucked in next to him. A chair had been pulled up close to the side, M'Gann slumped over onto the matress. Her eyes were closed, her face relaxed and peaceful in sleep. One hand still clutched Conner's tightly. The scene was a picture of peace, but somehow worrisome. Batman stood at the small window looking into the room, his usual scowl somehow translating as expressionless. Kaldur stood next to him quietly.

A rush of air entered the hall as the elevator doors opened behind them with a mechanical hiss. Superman exited the space, quickly followed by Kara. The pair moved to stand at the window, now as equally enthralled as the others.

"There isn't any trace of Kryptonite in his system now. He lost a lot of blood, but he should recover within a few hours." Batman said in a monotone voice. He turned away from the window making his way to the elevator. Kaldur blinked at him, but followed, Superman taking the hint and trailing behind them. He stopped just outside the elevator doors.

"Kara." He turned his head to look back at her over his shoulder. The girl was leaning against the window, her eyes locked on Conner.

"We just got here." Kara protested without looking away. Superman was silent until she turned and looked at him having expected a retort. He just looked at her until she sighed and began to trail away from the window, looking back every few steps.

Taipei

August 23

10: 20 NST

Sportsmaster walked casually down an alley way, the brick walls around him covered in graffiti and flyers for everything imaginable. He stopped at a wooden door, kicking it until it swung open with a whine on its unoiled hinges. The safe house wasn't much, but at least he could get a rest in. Stretching as he walked he frowned a little. Having failed at his mission he knew he wouldn't be paid, but a smile began to replace it at the memory of at least taking down a Super.

Reaching up to the back of his head, he took the mask from his face, the armor on his upper body quickly following. A few hours a sleep wouldn't hurt before he went off looking for another job. He started to take a seat, but froze, one hand reaching out for a weapon. His hand clasped around a short stick that expanded into a spear as he turned, pointing it into the darkened archway that led to the rest of the house.

"Step into the light." Sportsmaster demanded. His words were followed by the sound of heavy booted feet coming forward; they were the first to be illuminated, followed by the rest of an oddly dressed man, his hands devoid of weapons. "So, are you a hired and soon to be dead assassin, or did the Light think they could get rid of me with a badly dressed biker?"

"I'm the guy who's going to destroy the every trace of the Light and its partners." The man spoke quickly, before a small gun appeared in each hand. Sportsmaster hefted the spear at him, but the man ducked the blow, leaping forward and firing.

Watchtower

August 22

20:53 CST

M'Gann jolted awake but didn't lift her head. She'd felt something at the edges of her mind, like a fog clearing as the sun rose. She opened her eyes, looking at the two wolves at the end of the bed. Both of them continued to snore, still soundly sleeping. With her joy barely contained, she lifted her head slowly, looking straight up at Conner. He was already staring back at her, blue eyes locked on her face.

"Are we still on for that thing in Gotham this weekend?" Conner asked quietly. M'Gann started to nod as tears began to pool in her eyes, lifting the hand she was still holding to her cheek, drawing comfort from the touch. She leaned closer so the wolves could continue sleeping without disturbance.

"I thought I lost you again." M'Gann whispered knowing he would be able to hear her no matter how quietly she said it. Conner turned his head to see her better, a tear spilling down her cheek and onto his. He lifted his other hand laying it gently against the other side of her face.

"I'm still breathing aren't I?" He said with a slight smile, before pulling her into a kiss.

Central City

May 20

16:24 CST

2063

Wally walked slowly through the park glancing around at the rotten benches. The concrete path he walked on was cracked on broken like everything else he'd come across. Dirt and weeds dominated the once green and grassy lawns, some of the trees still standing, but the roots beginning to come up from the ground. His feet carried him towards the middle of the park, two stone statues standing there, still somehow looking proud. The once white stone was now dingy and gray. Chunks were missing from various parts of the statues, the legs still whole enough to keep them standing.

Wally sighed as he neared the monument circling around it to face the shorter of the two. His own masked face stared out across the park. Looking down to the base of the statue, he read the memorial engraving, sighing heavily.

"I'm sorry guys." He turned away and walked around to the other side. He rubbed his chest, the ache in heart becoming physical pain. "I didn't mean for this to happen." Tears began to stream down his dirt smudged face as he turned away, leaving the park just as quickly as he'd come. The engraving at the statues feet was trapped behind his eyelids.

In Memorial of the Flash

September 13, 2016

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**Since we were unable to find another writer, andiree will also be writing next weeks episode. After Episode 10 we will be taking a four week hiatus to collect ourselves and take a break. That means I will be focusing on my own work for a whole month!**


	10. Red

**Story by Darksuperboy**

**Written by andiree (posted here by me with her permission)**

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August 29

Washington

23:47 EST

A figure sprints through the back alley. As the light hits the black silhouette, features become more apparent, revealing the villain in his red and white attire. Deadshot glances up at the roof where another shadowy figures runs. The figure drops to the ground and quickly rolls, managing to avoid the assassin's shots from his wrist cannons. The bullets met nothing but air above the rooftop. Deadshot searches for his target, wrist-cannons still aimed.

"What's the matter, Deadshot?" a voice calls from the darkness. The alley echoes with the voice, so it was difficult to pinpoint its location. The killer cocks his head, still searching. "Don't like being at the other end of the sight?"

"Whatever they're paying you I will double it," Deadshot replies.

A laugh echoes down alley, and the nearby lights suddenly burst, putting the alley into total darkness. The voice says, "No one's paying me. Besides, I emptied your offshore accounts before I came after you. Thank you for such a generous donation." Deadshot could practically hear the voice grinning. He opens fire, aiming at the rooftop's corner, but nothing is there. He groans in frustration. "Will go along way towards what I have in mind for the rest of your shadow pals. Nothing like some good old fashion justice." Deadshot activates night-vision on his goggles. "You killed a lot of people, Deadshot: some of them were thugs like you, but far too many more were innocent lives-destroyed by your greed. Now it's time to pay up." Deadshot spins as he hears contact on the floor behind him. He fires down the street but, still, there is nothing except for a small tube. A bright flash blinds the shadow member as the night vision overloads due to the light. In a daze, Deadshot is suddenly kicked from behind. He lands in puddle and turns over to see the attacker. With blurred vision, he advances on him. As his eyes focus again he can now see a red-helmeted man dressed in a full-body and a biker jacket and boots. He grins, pointing something at Deadshot. A nearby cat, who was cleaning its paws, runs away as a loud bang rings through the alley.

September 4th

Bludhaven

23:57 EDT

On the rooftops of the Bludhaven slums Nightwing runs. No longer a member of team or league, he has been devoting more time to training and crime fighting. The city is beginning to take notice: crime rates have dropped and corruption was becoming less known. The crime gangs who had noticed the hero's change in attitude towards anyone who crossed him-all of which were spending long duration in the local hospitals-had backed off in daylight dealings so not to antagonize the hero, who had a clear chip on his shoulder. However, the masked hero still wasn't happy. He still didn't know what to do with himself. Charging headlong into work wasn't helping anymore; it felt good at first, but it quickly faded. He was realizing who he was becoming and he didn't want that-not since all those years ago, when that messed-up mental scenario made him think he had sent all his friends to their deaths. Now, in recent months he had done just that: endangered the lives of Kaldur and Artemis, mentally tortured M'gann, pushed Conner to his limits- not to mention watching his best friend die. He didn't want to quit-he wanted to carry on, mainly as a dedication to his parents. He couldn't go back to the team or league. He didn't deserve it. Dick Grayson just didn't know what to do.

He jumps and stealthily lands back on the HQ rooftop. After typing in the access code and standing for the identification scan, the rooftop hatch opens and he enters the building. Nightwing logs onto his computer-something he is very familiar with.

From behind him, a voice speaks. "Good morning, Richard."

Nightwing spins around, batons at the ready as R'as al Ghul steps out of the shadows.

"At ease, young hero," R'as says, smiling, "I am merely here to talk." Seeing no drop in guard, he proceeds to remove his sword from his belt and lays it on the ground. "You have my word."

Nightwing knows this man to be the leader of the League of Shadows: a ruthless killer and eco-terrorist for over 700 years. He probably has multiple backup plans for his escape from this meeting but not a man who uses an oath lightly. Nightwing lowers his guard, but ever so slightly.

"R'as," he says. "I can't say I'm surprised to see you up and about-but it seemed to have taken you longer then usual to come out of the shadows. What's the matter-green goo beginning to lose it's kick?" The 700-year-old man's eyes narrow.

"Clearly, you left the nest a little too early," is his response. "The detective didn't have the chance to teach you respect for your elders."

"Let's just go with 'I'm not in the mood for the usual back and forth word games'."

"Clearly the loss of your teammate and longtime friend still troubles you." Nightwing's fists clench tightly on the batons.

"What do you want, R'as?"

"A situation has arisen that endangers the League of Shadows." Nightwing laughs, causing him to receive a glare. He doesn't care.

"You've recently lost your biggest set of employers for the last five years," Nightwing points out. "What's the problem? Having trouble finding new clients?"

"Hardly. No, this is a danger more to the members of the League itself." This gets Nightwing's attention; it must be something big if it endangers the most proficient league of hired assassins in the world. "Someone has began systematically terminating all our members."

"And you can't stop them," Nightwing finishes.

"The person's training has made it difficult to track down and eliminate before his next strike."

"Maybe you should call the police." Nightwing smirks, but R'as ignores the suggestion and continues.

"So far, he has eliminated five of our top members." R'as pulls out a disk, and Nightwing goes back on guard. However, the disk is not thrown at Nightwing, but to the floor just in front of R'as' feet. Light shines from the object, showing faces that Nightwing recognizes: Hook, Blackspider, Deadshot, Professor Ojo. There was one man he didn't recognize: David Cain. All of these men had "deceased" written over their photos.

"Can't say I'm sorry to hear that," Nightwing tells him.

Ignoring the comment, R'as continues, "Also, he had began targeting former members of the League as well." The light extends and shows Sportsmaster. This photo, too, reads "deceased".

Nightwing crosses his arms. "Like I said: why should I care?"

"As I said, he has began targeting former members of the league-all of them." Realization hits him, and he continues, "Some of which are currently close to your friends and even part of their family." He switches off the hologram. "Our last known sighting of his position puts him within the U.S., I am certain. Do you now see why this is a problem you may want to resolve?" R'as kicks his sword back into his hand and walks back into shadows. From the darkness Nightwing hears, " Good luck, Richard, and farewell."

Dick spins back around and begins madly typing into the computer, bringing up the location of several team members and their home locations.

September 4th

Gotham

03:16 EDT

Paula Crocks sleeps peacefully, unaware of the threat that looms beside her. At the end of the bed, the same man that killed so many shadows stands and aims his gun at the woman. As he cocks back the hammer of the gun, the supposedly sleeping woman surprises him, throwing high the bed sheets and obscuring the man's vision. For an instant a bullet flares, but in his blindness the shot misses its mark. Paula shifts her mass to the side of the bed, reaching for the bedside drawer. She pulls out a miniature crossbow and turns to aim, but her hands are forced back into the bed's headboard. Her shot goes wide, and her hands are still pinned by the man's one hand; his other holds a gun aimed at Paula's forehead.

"Very nice try," Red Hood says with a smirk. "I will be honest: I had my doubts on whether I should kill you due to you being 'damaged goods', but you've put up enough of a fight to decide them. You're still a shadow through and through."

Paula leers at her captor, looking into his mask without flinching. "Who are you?"

"Someone your husband helped to create," he answers. Tilting his head, and arm still pinning her's, he holsters the gun under his jacket. He pulls out metal mask. "Or should I say 'late' husband?" He chuckles as Paula's eyes widen in shock as she looks at the item, her eyes following it down as Red Hood drops it onto her unmoving legs. She looks back at the man and glares, eyes glowing with hatred. "Wow, you're sad he's gone even after what he did to you? Lady, you're priceless. Fortunately, that trait hasn't carried onto your daughters. Well, at least not one of them. I will have to deal with the other."

"You stay away from them!" she screams, fuming.

"That's not quite your call." Red hood pries the cross bow out of Paula's hands and pushes her back onto the center of the bed with ease. He backs away, pulling out the gun again. "But as a kindness, the last thing you'll know is that I won't hurt your granddaughter. She's still innocent." He pulls back the hammer again. There is a sudden whistling noise, a clang and a whiz. Red Hood turns to look outside the window, gun aimed, just in time to see a cable in midair, occupied by an ascending blonde with a crossbow.

"GET AWAY FROM MY MOTHER!" Artemis yells. Red hood has as advantage in firepower aim and speed; however, he also has the disadvantage of an alarm clock colliding with the side of his helmeted head, which distracts him for a second-long enough for the rapid-fire crossbow to pierce the window with its arrows and force him to take cover behind the doors. He tried to take shot at his real target from the defensive position but Crock had pulled herself off the bed and couldn't be seen. An arrow embedded itself in door frame, then released an expanding foam, blocking the entire archway and forcing the hooded man to give up his chase.

Tigress burst through the window, still on alert for a counter attack.

"Mom," Artemis calls out, not seeing her on the bed.

"Artemis," Paula calls back. The heroine runs over and hugs her mother, helping her back onto the bed.

Still embracing her mother, Artemis asks, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Paula pulls out of the hug to look eye to eye with her daughter. "But you have to go. He's going after Jade."

"Nightwing has already warned Red Arrow."

"You must go help them. I will be fine," she insists. Paula waves a crossbow that she had picked up from floor at Artemis to reinforce the idea. The sound of sirens ring louder through the shattered windows. The Gotham Police Department inbound after calls from the neighbors who heard gunshots. Paula sees that her daughter still understandably hesitant. "GO!" she says urgently. Tigress gives her mother's hand a tight squeeze before jumping out the window and onto the fire escape. A line shoots out ahead of her, creating her exit. She swings away over the police cars, which came to skidding halts.

An officer looks out of the car and up at the heroine. His badge reads the name 'Bullock'.

"Jeez, these costume freaks dress up weirder every year," he mutters.

September 4th

Gotham

03:36 EDT

Tigress activates the radio as she leaps across rooftops.

"Nightwing," she addresses. "Succeeded in stopping the attack on my mom, but now we believe the assassin's next target is my sister. Since she doesn't tend to stay in one place he will go to the one person he knows she'll go to."

"Roger that," Nightwing replies. "Tigress: Green Arrow and Black Canary have already secured Lian and Red Arrow within Queen Industries Tower. They are safe. Any word on Cheshire?"

"No," Tigress answers, irritable. Her sister is annoying even to this day. Sure, she had dialed back the crime gig for her new family, but she still likes to dabble. "No longer killing people, but still stealing high value pieces of tech for money." She doesn't constantly stay with her daughter and husband, but drops by every now again.

Sounds of beeping can be heard over communication line.

"That's odd," Nightwing notes.

"What is?" Artemis asks.

"The zeta tube in your area has just been activated."

"Shut it down."

"Too late. They've already completed transit to Star City. But how did they do that without hacking the system?"

Artemis hears Nightwing typing. "In pursuit," she tells him.

Tigress rounds the corner of the alley leading to an out-of-order phone booth. Suddenly, the booth explodes, throwing the heroine backwards and onto ground. Quickly pulling herself up, Artemis looks at smoking wreckage, unable to help her family.

STAR CITY

September 4th

05:36 PDT

The Queen Industry's main complex is barren, with the exception of the owner's office, where Black Canary stands with a sleeping Lian in her arms. Her father and honorary grandfather are suited, both looking out the window and keeping an eye out for threats. The idea to hide at Industries was the most reasonable choice: the Hall was too public and the Watch Tower wouldn't resolve the issue. Instead, Red Arrow and Lian will hide until Red Hood is found. Since the League of Shadows is having trouble, who knows how long it will take. The best idea is to hide as their alter-egos, and hope for the best. Even so, it doesn't mean they shouldn't prepare for the worst.

Ollie finishes his call on the radio, and turns to the others.

"League traced the Zeta tube used in Star City," Green Arrow informs them. "Burnt to a crisp. No sign on this Hood guy." Red Arrow looks out the window, no sign of acknowledgement towards Green Arrow. His head does turn, however, when Green Arrow places his hand on Red Arrow's shoulder. "We'll get him, Roy." The two both look out the window again, eyes fixated on the night sky-neither seeing the man climbing onto a rooftop several blocks away.

The Red Hood successfully gets onto the rooftop of Queen Industries nearby warehouse. He then pulls up a large crate with difficulty. The Lex Corp logo is printed on the side. He opens the crate to reveal a large rocket launcher. With a smirk, Red Hood picks it up and takes aim at the tower. The digital display zooms in on the main office and heat signatures of those inside. He stands there wordless for several seconds before lowering the weapon.

"About time you showed," Red Hood says, smirking. "Was beginning to wonder if I really had to fire this to get your attention." He turns around to face the woman standing behind him: Cheshire.

The mask grins back at him. "Everyone gets my attention when they attack my family," Cheshire says, "but they soon learn to regret it." The two stand off without words, the night's wind blowing between them-then begins their deadly dance. Red aims the rocket launcher at Cheshire who throws shy, knocking the launcher off target and firing into the air. Cheshire starts throwing more ninja stars which Red Hood blocks with the launcher. He pulls out a handgun and begins firing at the grinning assassin as she cartwheels behind the air vent, dodging bullets along the way. She keeps out of sight, allowing Red Hood to dispose of the launcher and draw a second pistol and advances on Cheshire's position. As he nears her, Jade jumps onto the vent, leaps over Red Hood and lands behind him. Cheshire throws him over her shoulder with her gained momentum. Red Hood counters easily, falling into back flip and turning to aim at the woman. However, Cheshire swiftly kicked the gun out of his hand, and proceeds to pull out an extendable katana, swinging it at Red Hood's head. He blocks her strike with a combat knife. The fury of blows are exchanged, and each blocked by the other. Red Hood tries to kick out Cheshire's legs but she back flips and disappears behind a screen of smoke coming forth from an activated smoke pellet. Red Hood's bullets miss their target and slam into the already bullet-ridden vent. Silently, three darts escape the smoke screen and plant themselves into Red Hood's torso. He looks down at darts. His body begins to sway until he finally collapses, the guns falling from his hands.

Jade slowly advances on the downed killer. Drawing a second shy, she kneels down next to his body with her weapon raised. "Like I said: regret." Red Hood's jacket-covered arm twitches as a taser shoots into the villain's seemingly limp hand, which suddenly reaches forward, snatching females leg, causing to stun Jade before she can complete her death blow. The hand, as well as the arm, she carries the shy in goes limp.

Red Hood grins at her. "Full body armor." He picks himself back up off the ground, grabbing the guns in both his hands. "Stops knives, bullets, and darts from hitting those pesky organs underneath." He kicks Jade's form over so he can face her. A gun is lifted and pointed towards her head.

His finger is less than a second from pulling the trigger when and arrow intercepts the gun, knocking the shot away from the downed shadow. Red Hood spots more arrows heading his way and begins dodging them as he runs along the rooftop, returning fire at the angry faces of Red and Green Arrow.

Just a minute before, Red and Green had been looking out of the window. A bright light shot into the air several blocks away. Green Arrow pulled out a pair of pocket-binoculars, looking at light.

"Military miniature rocket." Green Arrow followed the trail back to its source, zooming in on two figures on the rooftop. One of them he recognized. "Looks like your wife is back and found our Red Hood." Red Arrow pressed a switch, opening the window. The two archers drew arrows and shot towards the far off lower building. Two cables followed the arrows. The archers hooked up the line to ceiling, then swung their bows over the line.

Ollie, looking back at baby Lian and Canary's expression of concern, said, "See you in a little while, pretty bird." The two archers departed them, zipping down the cables.

Currently, Red Hood flees from the rooftop after realizing he is outnumbered. As he leaps he also manages to dodge several arrows. During his fall he pulls out a grappler and shoots a line to a nearby lamp post, swinging away as Green Arrow chases in pursuit. Green Arrow shoots one last arrow at the fleeing man. The weapon explodes into a net but is quickly cut with ease by the swinging criminal.

"This guy is good," Green Arrow mutters to himself.

Red Hood lands on the pavement and turns into the alley. A few seconds later the sound of a heavy motor bike can be heard moving towards the other end.

Green Arrow turns away to look back at his former sidekick, who is kneeling down beside his wife. Though he is not much of a fan of his adoptive son's choice in women, Green Arrow still cares about the man's feelings.

"How is she?" he asks.

Red Arrow lets out a sigh. "Breathing seems to be stunned." He lifts his wife into his arms and begins to walk back to the tower. "But she'll be annoyed she lost and angry this Red Hood guy got away."

"Glad I'm not married to her then," Green Arrow replies, letting out a snicker. Red Arrow doesn't return the laughter. Green arrow clears his throat. "I think the Biker Boy has learnt not to mess with Arrow family tonight." He follows his former partner back to the tower, back towards the people he loves.

STAR CITY OUTSKIRTS

September 4th

06:36 PDT

Red Hood rides his bike through the fading night, down an empty street, feeling annoyed that he had missed his attacks and that his persona had been seen by the League. He had been hoping for more time to work in the shadows without getting them involved. This was most likely R'as attempt to reign in his attacks on his own shadows by having the League hunting for him. However, Red Hood will get his revenge for what R'as did to him. His focus on revenge nearly caused a fatal error, noticing a steel cable just before it shoots across the street, blocking his path. Red skids to a halt before the cable line retracts into the darkened alley. Red Hood, already looking in that direction, draws his guns and stares at a shining red light.

"I wouldn't," a voice calls, "unless you want to see how many pieces you and your bike can be turned into from an RPG." Red Hood looks down, but he doesn't lower his guns.

"Maybe I'm interested in how many bullets I can fire before that happens," Red Hood replies. He watches as a one-armed, dark hero-Arsenal-steps into the light of street lamps.

"Interesting idea," Arsenal says. "But I don't think either one of us wants to find out, since we have so much in common-our mutual hatred for the League of Shadows, for example. Nice work on getting some of them already, by the way." He slings the RPG back onto a strap. Red Hood lowers his guns, intrigued.

"Could say the same to you-Arsenal, right? The guy R'as and his fellows kept on ice for 5 years while playing operation. Fouled up a bit of Shadow work yourself, from what I've heard." He twirls his gun around playfully, showing more drop in guard with the person he has 'a bit in common' with.

Arsenal smiles. "And looking to continue to do so. Care for an assist?"

Red, now leaning on the front of bike as though having a good chat with his best bud, says, "Don't see why not. We both want the same people dead."

"One stipulation first." Red Hood straightens up slightly, now on guard. "Drop it with Cat and her family. I don't want to explain to my niece why mommy, grandma and auntie are dead. One's retired, one has backed off from the killing circuit, and one's a hero-so it sort of balances out." Red Hood stands there for a moment thinking it over before shrugging.

"Fine." He points at Arsenal, and adds,"But you're buying the first round."

"Deal?" Arsenal extends his cyborg hand, grinning.

Red Hood takes his hand and the two shake, sealing the deal. Arsenal walks back into the lights. His motorbike is heard from behind as Red pulls up to him, helmet on but visor up.

"Let's ride." Red Hood pushes the visor down and drives off.

Arsenal grins, following closely behind.

* * *

**So we are halfway through the season! Since we need a break, we'll be starting our four week hiatus! Watch out for some updates because (for reasons I do not understand) I'm am being asked to rewrite Episode 1 as the rest of the group seems to be viewing it as not up to quality, as well as the final scene of Episode 9. I'm hoping this won't take too much time out of my personal writing time, but whatever. Practice is practice! We look forward to getting back on the road with this soon.**

**Personally, I hope to get up some other work soon as well. My sister was kind enough to write the recap of Why do we fall? and Why so serious?, so I should be well on my way to writing the next chapter soon. **

**Thank you all again! You're all wonderful!**


	11. Killer Joke

**Story by Darksuperboy**

**Wriiten by me**

* * *

Arkham Asylum, Gotham City

September 5

07:17 EDT

Dark clouds pulsed and crackled with lightning, roaring thunder rolling close behind each flash. Weak streams of sunlight fought to break the cloud cover, casting watery shadows around everything it managed to illuminate. A large dark stone building stood apart from the meager lighting of the city, miniscule windows allowing only the barest hint of natural light inside. One window lead to a long hallway, lined with thick steel doors, barred square windows on each of them. Intertwined with the sporadic sparks of lightning, the sharp white beam of a flashlight maneuvered around the hallway. A man dressed in a crisp white police like uniform held the light up to one of the windows, closely followed by another man holding a clipboard, a long list attached to it. A shiny engraved badge bore the name North.

"Nigma?" North said the name like a question, his hand poised over the paper with a pen between his fingers. The other man turned and nodded.

"Check." As he said the word, North made a mark next to the name. Moving to the next door, he moved down the list accordingly.

"Dent?"

"Check."

"Cleer?"

"Check." The pair continued down the hallway without pause.

"Joker?" North asked preparing to mark off the name. He waited, but was greeted only by silence. He glanced up and froze, seeing his partner just looking into the window on the door, his face frozen in a look of shock and horror. Concern drove him forward shoving his partner away from the door and looking into the window himself. Numbness crept into him as he felt the blood drain from his face at the sight inside the room. Facing away from the door, the Joker's body was suspended by a mess of electrical wiring torn out of the light fixture in the ceiling. With a strangled gasp, North lifted a hand frantically grabbing for the radio clipped to his shoulder. "Open cell door 1940. Code Black. I repeat Code Black. Send a medic."

A metallic buzz followed as the door unlocked, allowing North to pull it open. The grating sound of the metal brought his partner out of his stunned state and the two of them walked into the cell cautiously, pulling the nightsticks from their belts. They approached the hanging body, skirting around it carefully knowing that it could easily be rigged with some sort of deadly trap. North moved away, studying the rest of the room; nothing appeared out of place. The simple framed bed still held its thin mattress, the only other furnishing in the room being the stainless steel toilet on the other side. Behind him, the other guard slowly lifted his nightstick, prodding the back of the body. He jumped backwards as it gathered momentum from the jab and began to turn just as a ripple of lightning flooded the room with light, a roar of thunder not far behind. North jumped too, rather startled by his partner's reaction. As he turned around preparing to reprimand the other man, he froze again, this time in shock.

The body was nothing more than the standard Arkham inmate uniform, empty of a body. An emerald stained wig sat atop a balloon with a joker mask covering one half for a face. Attached to the front of the uniform was a sign, the scarlet letters across it still dripping down the paper and smearing together, looking sickeningly like blood.

DO YOU REALLY THINK I WOULD ROB THE WORLD OF MY JOKES?

BUT THANK YOU FOR OPENING THE DOOR, IDIOTS.

North gasped and stepped back from the dummy as thick green gas began to billow out of it, pouring out across the room and into the hallway. He grabbed his partner by the arm and pulled, starting to drag the stunned man out of the room. They struggled to see thought the wall of fumes building in front of them, both of them stumbling to the ground as the strain on their lungs became too much to bear. North put his hand over his nose, attempting to keep more of the substance from entering his system, hacking coughs tearing out of his chest, exhausting him in a matter of moments. He dropped ever closer to the ground until his cheek was pressed to the cold concrete floor, his partner already slumped over next to him. A dark cackling laughter pierced their ears, too close for comfort as darkness began to wash over them.

Gotham Police Station

September 11

09:30 EDT

The scene outside the Gotham City Police was becoming an all too familiar sight. A podium stood on the top step, reporters and their camera crews crowded around it, the discussion between them becoming a dull roar. Towards the middle of the crowd, Cat Grant was turning in a circle, clearing her space for the broadcast. She scowled up at the bright sunlight shining down on the crowd, hoping the camera wouldn't catch a glare, before straightening her already smooth blouse and holding her microphone up to her face.

"This is Cat Grant reporting for GBS News. We are live outside the Gotham City Police headquarters where we are about to receive a statement from Commissioner James Gordon regarding the recent escape from Arkham Asylum. The Joker, the self-proclaimed Clown Prince of Crime has managed to elude Gotham's finest and thwart their many attempts at his capture in years past. His history of committing grand theatrical acts of violence has left the city in suspense waiting for the man's next brutal punch line. Nearly a week after his escape, Gotham's finest haven't caught so much as a chuckle from the mad man, leading this reporter to wonder- has the Joker stopped his attacks on the citizens of Gotham? Or is he planning something bigger and more diabolical than ever?" Cat finished by stepping to the side out of the camera frame, gesturing for the operator to zoom in on the podium as Commissioner Gordon approached it.

The man looked a bit disheveled, his graying hair sticking up in a few places where he'd run his fingers through it nervously. His tie was crooked, the knot at his neck skewing to one side, and his shirt was in desperate need of ironing. Beyond that he appeared his usual calm, collected self, straightening to his full height. He gripped the podium with one hand and pushed his glasses up his nose with the other, lowering the hand to tap the microphone. It led out a static laced thud as he cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Good morning. As you are all aware, six days ago the insane criminal known as the Joker escaped from Arkham Asylum, attacking and injuring several guards in the process. Two of the men are still in critical condition and are being treated at Gotham General. After his escape, we received several reports of sightings of the Joker in and around the area of the Gotham Docks, though thus far we have uncovered no other leads. I would like to urge the public to please remain calm. Rest assured that we are doing everything in our power to find this man before any harm befalls the citizens of Gotham." As the last word fell from his mouth a flurry of questions began flying from the reporters gathered around him. Gordon gestured randomly to a man in a crisply starched suit with precisely gelled hair.

"Have you received any assistance from Batman or the Justice League?" The man called out his question in a powerful, well-projected voice.

Gordon cleared his throat again and looked over at the reporter. "Batman and the Justice League have offered their assistance. Their results thus far are the same as ours. Next question please."

Cat raised her hand quickly before speaking up loudly to be heard over the crowd. "Commissioner, this has been the longest period of time in which the Joker has been out of incarceration without preforming a criminal act. Do you think he may have fallen prey to his own scheme and that may be why you haven't found him?"

Gordon opened his mouth to respond, leaning close to the microphone. His lips moved, but his words were masked by a dark chuckle resounding through the speakers around the crowd.

"There's no need to worry about me, Miss Grant. I've only been away so long so that I could prepare for my best joke yet." The Joker laughed maniacally as panic began to spread through the crowd. Some of the reporters froze, too scared to do anything but stand there; others flailed about frantically, unsure which way they should go to escape or even if they should try. Fear was written across every face but one; the Commissioner was just looking at the podium, his hold tightening on the old wood. "You see after all the fuss over the aliens and the end of the world, I was beginning to feel a bit…upstaged. The world just didn't seem to care about little old me and the joy I was trying to bring to Gotham. And then that's when I realized, it was because they didn't get to see the fun for themselves. That's what I've been working on. Something for the whole country to enjoy. It's going to be a real killer." He broke off in voracious laughter again, deeper and darker than before.

"I don't want to give you any spoilers just yet, but all the fun begins in twenty-four hours. Good-bye."

Watchtower

September 12

09:20 EDT

The entire country had gone into a state of panic. In less than a day, broadcasts of the Joker's speech had reached every corner of the state, and then spread to the ends of the country. People were fleeing major cities in droves, crowding the roadways and causing more accidents than anyone could deal with. The looting and hoard buying had already started leaving shelves and entire stores empty. The president had declared a state of emergency, sending out National Guard and Army troops to assist wherever they could. Chaos was running so rampant that it had even reached The Watchtower with members of the League and Team running to and fro, a few non-members among them, going about whatever tasks they'd been assigned. Even amongst the pandemonium, Batman was still call, appearing very still as he listened carefully to a recording of the Joker's statement, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Seeing this, Superman flew over, landing quietly next to the stoic man.

"Anything?" He asked turning to look at Batman's masked face.

"Nothing. The transmission was made in a sound proofed room to prevent background noise from getting in. I figured the wiretap was done with a basic modification to a satellite phone. The model isn't even on the market anymore, legal or otherwise, so it can't be traced back to a buyer or seller. There's no signal to track now either. We have absolutely no way of tracking him from this."

Superman was quiet for a moment. "What do you think he's got planned?"

"It's the Joker." Batman replied flatly, as if that fact alone answered the question.

Superman nodded in understanding, turning away to glance around the Watchtower. His eyes danced around the room taking in every person there before coming to rest on Nightwing. Clearing his throat quietly, he turned back to Batman, a slight frown on his face. "How are things with you and Nightwing?"

"I don't see what that has to do with the situation right now." Batman said never looking away from the screen in front of him. He leaned forward and began typing quickly, his fingers flying across the keys. "Besides this is hardly the time to discuss it, even if I would discuss it with you."

"Bruce. You know you've got nothing to go on until the Joker makes a move, so let's talk about this." Superman said it quietly, but firmly. He waited for a response, but crossed his arms over his chest and cast a stern but well-meaning glare at the other man. "He needs his father right now, Bruce."

The words felt like an echo coming out of his mouth, reminding him of that day so many years ago when their current roles had been reversed. A thought crossed his mind, seeing that what was happening now wasn't just affecting Batman and Nightwing, but Bruce and Dick as well, separate as they were. Superman sighed heavily and opened his mouth to speak again when a robotically formal voice cut him off.

"_Attention. Incoming transmission on emergency broadcasting system."_

As if the voice were a cue, holographic screens began to appear all over the Watchtower, black and white static blurring across them. Expressions of worry edged on to almost every face in the room as the heroes exchanged glances. Far below them on the Earth, the same ominous static flickered across every TV and drowned out music from every radio with a dark crackling buzz. It stopped suddenly, the sound replaced by the rapid beat of a dramatic drum roll.

"Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls of all ages, it is now time for what you've all been waiting for!" The screens went black as a woman's voice was interlaced with horribly tacky marching band like music. "Please welcome your host for today's entertainment!" With her last word, the Joker slid across the screen, bowing to mechanical fake applause that belonged to an equally fake audience behind the camera. He straightened and waved his hands, a signal for the applause to cease. They stopped promptly a few moments later.

"Thank you, thank you, you are much too kind! That's right ladies and gentleman! The Joker is back and boy oh boy do I have fun times ahead planned for everyone." The Joker glanced around from side to side as if taking in his audience, his huge menacing grin somehow appearing wider than usual. "Now I know we've all gotten a little sidetracked but this whole alien invasion, trying to blow up the Earth thing and it's made everyone a little sad. But dear Uncle Joker is here to make it all better and cheer everyone up!

I know everyone's worry about how enough isn't being done to protect us from the little green men from space. But worry no longer! I've come up with a plan that will solve all of our problems!" The Joker threw his arms out wide and ran towards the camera, laughing hysterically. It jostled a bit, the image of his chest going blurry as he turned the camera, stepping aside to show a tarp covering strangely shaped object.

"Can we track this?" Superman asked, the first to speak since the broadcast had started.

Batman shook his head slowly, the movement so slight it almost hadn't happened. "This isn't live. He somehow hacked into the emergency broadcast system and loaded this video, set to play at a specific time. It's being transmitted from over a dozen locations around the country. It will take some time to trace back to the original upload, and he'll be long gone by then."

On the screen, the Joker moved back into the camera's view, leaning casually against the cloaked object. "Is everyone ready?" He asked gleefully straightening up. With a quick fluid jerk of the tarp, it flowed to the ground, revealing what had lain beneath it. A long white cylinder with a rounded point on the end was standing there, balanced on a trio of short white fins at the opposite end. Gasps of shock and horror echoed around the Watcthtower. "For those of you who don't know, this is a fusion device. It has been called many things- "Fat Man", "Thin Man', "Little Boy"- but I prefer the classic name of "A Bomb". That's right folks! The Joker has gone nuclear! Isn't it great?" There was a short pause as the Joker appeared lost in thought, pondering something.

"Now I can't remember if it is one-hundred megatons or just fifty." He looked at the bomb with a scowl, delivering a sharp kick to its side as if preparing to beat the answer out of it. The smile returned to his face as he looked back up at the camera. "But don't worry kids; I won't be using this baby just yet. No sir. It's for those aliens out there that want to rob poor little old me of my time in front of the cameras. On that note, I've got a little message for out outer space friends." The Joker's smile fell into a menacing grimace. "If you show up on my stage again, I will end you. And, just for insurance, I'm not going to tell you where it's hidden, so best not try to land at all. You heard it here my fellow Americans! I've gone nationwide! This puppy is hidden in one of our state capitols to protect you all from harm. From here on out, I'm looking out for everyone, not just my humble home town." He patted the bomb affectionately and laughed, stepping away from it and closer to the camera, his laugh trailing off into silence as his face turned stern once more.

"For my friends in the Justice League, I have a special message." The Joker leaned closer to the camera and reached a hand into his dark purple jacket, pulling out a remote which he held up tauntingly. "If I see one cape, I send my message to the stars with a bang." His laughter started up again, louder and higher pitched than before when the screen went blank.

Central City

September 12

08:45 CDT

The scene on the television was disheartening. Bumper to bumper traffic crowded the highway as the news helicopter flew by, getting a panoramic shot of the chaos below. In the distance the skyline of the city they were fleeing was a blurry silhouette as the sun rose. After another sweep of the highway, an audio narration began to play over the visual.

"For those who have just joined us, the Mayor of Central City has once agin called for the public to remain calm. And once again this has proven ineffective. Despite the low likelihood of the Joker's bomb being hidden in Central City, thousands of people have begun fleeing the city, all too aware of the severity of the Joker's threats. Every highway in and out of the city is flooded with people and progress is slow. Some have even begun to abandon their cars and are attempting to leave on foot." The image changed, focusing in on a couple carrying their children on their shoulders, joining the crowd of people moving between the cars.

Iris Allen sighed and put a hand against her belly, holding out the remote with the other and turning off the television. She smiled a little and rubbed the spot where the baby was currently kicking her, as if sensing her worry.

"It's okay, babies. I'm sure your daddy will take care of everything in no time." As if her words were a cue, the front door burst open, a high speed gust of wind coming to a halt. With a soft smile, Iris looked up to see her husband standing in front of her, his bright red costume looking even brighter up close. "So it's not a bluff then?"

"No. Batman thinks he got it off of some Russian black market weapons dealers." Barry replied shaking his head slowly. "Apparently it's one of the ones that were lost after the Berlin Wall fell. After that it just ended up in one pair of wrong hands after the other, looking for someone crazy enough to buy the thing."

"Who would be stupid enough to sell anything to that clown?' Iris asked a little flabbergasted.

"Probably someone just as crazy as he is." Barry shook his head again, this time in disbelief. He held out his hand, carefully helping Iris up from her seat. "I'm taking you to the Watchtower. The Garricks are already there and Bart is sorting out things with your brother and his wife."

"You don't think it's really in Central City do you?" Iris asked as he picked her up bridal style, the position not quite as comfortable as it used to be with her belly getting in the way a bit. Despite that, she felt instantly safer there.

"Better to be safe than sorry." Barry said with a smile at her. "Ready?"

"Yeah. But be careful and go slow." Iris said nodding and patting her belly. "Babies on board remember?" Barry laughed quietly and lightly kissed her forehead before speeding out the door.

Hall of Justice

September 12

10:15 EDT

A line of National Guardsmen kept back a crowd of people trying to flood towards the doors of the domed building. Though the building's interior remained unfinished with exposed wires in the few places that were still lacking drywall, it was full of people. Representatives from every branch of the government and military milled around going about their tasks. In light of the situation, the Justice League had allowed access to the buildings network of bunkers, as well the zeta tubes. The morning had been spent evacuating high ranking officials out of the country. All of them seemed at their wits end waiting to get out, all except one, leaving the League members present on edge and nervous.

Lex Luthor stood in the middle of the room, his arms crossed commandingly over his chest as he watched each foreign dignitary disappear in a flash of light. His body guard stood at his side, the woman looking as still and stoic as ever. She turned with narrowed eyes as a man in a dark blue suit with slicked back hair approached them.

"Excuse me, Mr. Luthor. The League would like to speak to sir." The man said quietly. A badge on his chest read "FBI".

"Very well." Luthor turned to face the woman next to him. "Mercy, please continue with the evacuations while I take care of this. I shouldn't be long." He turned away, striding confidently towards a heavy metal door. A blue light scanned over him, making him roll his eyes.

"_Recognized. UN Secretary Lex Luthor. Temporary access granted."_

The door opened on its own slowly, opening wide enough for him to slip inside the room a few moments later. With a quick adjustment to his tie, Luthor entered the main part of the room, spotting Black Canary. The woman was looking at him, her expression not quite a glare, but definitely not welcoming. He just smiled at her widely.

"Come now, my dear. Is that anyway to welcome a freely elected official." He said it in the most civil tone he could master.

"If you'd like to know how I would prefer to great you, I would be more than happy to show you." Black Canary said flatly. "It would make my day."

"But it wouldn't go over so well with this country's people, or the rest of the world for that matter, if you did. So why don't you just be a good little birdy and connect my call." Luthor smiled at her, once again straightening his already pristine tie. Black Canary let out a quiet sound of annoyance, but turned away, activating the holographic monitor in the middle of the room. Batman's masked face appeared, his characteristic blank look in place, still somehow looking like a glare. "Ah, Batman. I was hoping for the Boy Scout in red and blue, but I suppose you'll do. I can't have everything after all. Is there something I can help you with?"

"You can give the League access to the Lex Corp satellite network." Batman said without greeting the man back.

"What for?" Luthor asked though he suspected he already knew the answer to the question.

"So that we can find the Joker's bomb." Batman's voice remained smooth.

"And how can you do that? My satellites are designed for communication, not tracking nuclear weapons." He smiled a little, the expression looking more like a smirk than anything.

"Stop playing games with me Luthor. You and I both know you've upgraded your satellites off record to track Superman when you can. I also know you are smart enough to know the Joker doesn't intend to wait for another alien attack to use that bomb. He just wants to get as many laughs as he can get out of this whole thing before he does. And since you are still within range of the blast if he's placed it in D.C., I suggest you stop wasting my time and yours."

Luthor just continued to smile. "You want to see if you can track the radioactive particle trail from the bomb. The thing is Cold War era so I suspect the bomb's shielding is most likely failing and leaking enough for the satellites to pick up easily enough."

"How do you know when it's from?" Black Canary interjected, her question laced with more than a little suspicion.

"I am a weapons developer madam. I know outdated technology when I see it." Luthor sighed at the stupidity of the question. He looked back up at the screen, eyeing Batman seriously. "You do know I don't have enough satellites to scan the entire country all at once. This could take hours, maybe even days if we want to be extra thorough."

"We've already spoken with Bruce Wayne. He has agreed to loan us control of his satellites. Those in addition to yours and the military's, a linked search of the country shouldn't take longer than a matter of minutes." Batman responded.

"Wayne. Of course. So how did you manage that?" Luthor asked laughing. "I hope you didn't bribe him with a date with Wonder Woman."

"Access codes, Luthor." Batman's face was still blank, but a slight hint of irritation had crept into his voice.

"Fine." Luthor steped forward, reaching for the keyboard in front of him. He typed a few short series of keystrokes, then stepped back as a model of the country appeared, showing the progress of the scan. "So, how is the boy's arm holding up? We've been meaning to inquire if he'd like a free upgrade sometime. I'm sure he could use it by now."

Black Canary scowled at him, but he ignored her as they watched faint green highlights appear on the map.

"We're picking up readings from areas with nuclear power plants." Luthor said flatly and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Can you work around it?" Black Canary asked looking up at the map.

"My dear I can do anything I set my mind to." Luthor said confidently, reaching for keyboard once more. As he typed, the highlighted areas cleared, leaving only one small blip. He began to chuckle as the map zoomed in. "Well, I have to hand it to the clown. He certainly knows how to put on a good show."

Luthor turned back around to the screen where Batman was still expressionlessly scowling at him. "He's still in Gotham."

Gotham City Docks

September 12

11:15 EDT

Gotham was unusually quiet, even during the busiest time of day. Most of the city's occupants were flocking to the bridges and tunnels leaving the city; those that remained were taking advantage of the chaos, looting and breaking into places they shouldn't be, pushing Gotham police and National Guard volunteers to their limits. This situation was not the case at the Docks. A squadron of armed men, mostly clothed in black armor-like gear, were filing into the buildings around the marina, clearing each room they came across with practiced precision. The special ops team had been deployed to the area shortly after the League reported the Joker's location. In an effort to avoid even more panic as well as maintain secrecy, the location had been kept classified from the public and local law enforcement. The three teams had each cleared a building and were now focusing in on the storage unit where the radiation emission signal was strongest, all their weapons trained on the doors.

A few blocks away, a dump track say idle on the side of the street. Inside the vehicle, General Lane was listening intently to the feedback transmitting from the men watching the storage unit. Just behind him The Flash exchanged a glance with Nightwing, who turned to look at Batgirl and Tigress next to him.

"Perimeter secured. All units hold your positions." General Lane gave the order into a microphone then stepped back, breathing a heavy sigh. "I hope you have some suggestions on how to deal with this, because a clown with a nuke and a few lackeys from an insane asylum is not something we've trained for." He glanced over at the heroes next to him, his gaze resting on The Flash.

"Hold the perimeter until night fall, then attack the building. It should be enough of a distraction for Nightwing, Tigress, and Batgirl to get in and disarm the bomb. If not, I'll just run the thing to the middle of the Atlantic." Flash told him the plan flatly.

"That's it?" Lane raised an eyebrow at him, obviously surprised by the lack of detail for the mission. "When the president ordered me to allow you all into this operation, I expected to get a bit more out of it than that."

"We've dealt with the Joker before General." Nightwing interjected coolly. His arms were crossed over his chest and the whites of his domino mask narrowed slightly. "He will not negotiate or be reasoned with. He has no agenda other than to cause chaos and as much damage as possible. The man has nothing to lose."

"And what if he decides to set it off while we wait?" Lane demanded. "And where is Batman? I thought he'd be here; it's his villain, doesn't he want to sort out the problem?"

"He's too busy watching the carnage from all of this to get bored for the next twelve hours." Batgirl explained. "Besides he did say if he saw any of the League he would detonate it. This way he might just try to fend us off instead of blowing us up."

General Lane didn't seem entirely convinced, but seemed to accept the plan anyway. "Fine. We will engage at 23:45 hours. Hopefully we can catch some of them sleeping until then. You can show yourselves out."

23:30 EDT

Nightwing stared down at the storage unit from the roof of the building across the street. His arms hung at his sides, his hands clenching into fists and relaxing every few minutes. Despite preparing for situations like this every day for the majority of his life, nerves were still pricking at him, making a hollow pit in his stomach. The situation felt all too familiar, but somehow different to anything he'd dealt with before causing his worrisome feelings too trouble him even more. He found himself longing for the comfort of a shadowy corner to hide his feelings in, but held firm.

"You seem nervous." Batgirl's quiet voice from behind him had him turning around to greet her with a stoic look.

"Wouldn't you be?" He asked, despite already knowing the answer.

"Yes." She answered him easily, taking the last few steps to stand next to him. One hand reached up and rested on his shoulder, the touch small, but still somehow comforting anyway. She smiled gently. "But I think we're worried about different things right now. Do you want to talk about it?"

"You already know." Nightwing said quietly. He turned his head away, but raised his hand to hold hers against his shoulder, drawing more comfort from the simple touch than he thought possible, but still not enough to completely drive away the unease. His eyes cast over at her; though he was wearing the mask, he knew she would be able to tell. "I don't want to lose any more people I care about. Especially you."

Batgirl was quiet for a while, so long that Nightwing started to think she wouldn't speak. When she did, her voice was still quiet, but a little more firm than before.

"Dick I'm not going to lie and tell you that nothing is going to happen tonight because I don't know that for sure. I don't know what's going to go right or wrong once we get inside. But what I do know, is that you are going to do everything you possibly can to protect the people in this city and all of us. That's all any of us can expect from you, and you give us more than enough, and I love you for it." Batgirl suddenly leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, just at the edge of his mask. When she stepped away she delivered a soft punch to his shoulder. "Now quit moping and start focusing on what is instead of what could be."

Nightwing opened his mouth to respond, but didn't get the chance as she stepped past him to stand on the edge of the roof. Tigress was already standing there, seeming to have just melted out of the shadows. She exchanged a glance with Batgirl and smirked back at him, before the two girls pulled out grappling guns, firing them and sending cables out over the street. Batgirl turned around and smiled at Nightwing.

"Now are you coming or not?" She asked cheekily before jumping off the edge of the building. Nightwing smiled and rubbed his shoulder before pulling out his own grappling gun and following close behind, the three of them swinging easily onto the roof of the storage unit.

The hatch in the roof had been booby-trapped, though simply enough that it hadn't been hard to disarm. Beyond that, the way into the unit was clear, a long catwalk running the length of the room's ceiling. Safely tucked into the shadows, the three heroes looked down, taking stock of the strange scene below them.

The Joker, dressed in his usual purple suit, sat atop the bomb laughing giddily at the bank of television screen across from him. Each one showed the destruction and chaos from a different city as people evacuated in floods. He seemed to grow more elated as each news broadcast came to a close, only to be replaced by another telling a similar story. Beside him a flamboyantly dressed Harley Quinn was perched on a crate, flicking a yo-yo up and down between her feet. On the ground next to her were two hyenas, both fast asleep and snoring surprisingly loud. The rest of the large room was occupied by fifteen or so clown masked men, Some of them played card games, while others milled around occasionally glancing through the building's windows. Overall none of them appeared the least bit concerned.

"I'm bored!" Harley said suddenly, flicking her yo-yo into her hand one more time. "Can't we do something fun while we're waiting?" Her voice came out high pitched and a bit whiney as she adjusted her position to leaned one elbow on her knee, using the arm as a kickstand for her head, the other hand resuming its rhythmic yo-yo tossing.

"This is fun." The Joker replied, flapping one hand at her as if he could physically wave away her comment. "Just look at them all running around and scrambling over each other for this. This is my best joke yet for sure!" Nightwing lifted one hand, motioning for the other two to move along the catwalk, spreading out across the room.

"But how's this going to get us rich boss?" One man in a clown mask asked, looking up from his poorly played card game. "You said this would be worth our while."

"And it is! Just look at all the people we're helping keep fir as they run for their lives! The boost we're giving the oil industry with everyone trying to drive away at once." The Joker broke off laughing, gesturing wildly at the screen in front of him. "The shops are just overflowing with customers. We're helping our country today boys! Isn't that payment enough?"

"But when do we get the cash from ransoming the city?' This time the question came from the man across the table from the first, his hand of cards no better than his opponent's.

"In time, everyone is going to get what's owed them. No need to worry, you just have to wait that's all." The Joker replied still chuckling. A few moments later the room was suddenly filled with brilliant white light flooding in from every window. The clowns that had been idle before hoisted their guns into their hands and moved to the windows.

"Attention Joker! This is General Lane of the United States Army. You are surrounded. Come out with your hands in the air!" The General's voice was extremely loud, amplified by a loud speaker.

The Joker yawned and continued to watch his TVs, having remained still. "Harley, be a dear and send them my reply."

"Sure thing Mr. J." Harley grinned at tone of the clowns, waving at the man excitedly. He nodded and reached under the card table, pulling out a heavy rocket launcher. Standing up carefully, he hefted the weapon onto his shoulder and moved over to a window, firing at the troops outside. The following explosion sent up a plume of fire that momentarily lit the inside of the building with orange light and sent vibrations through the street that had the walls trembling with the force. Before the man could step back from the window, the sharp pop of gunfire sounded once and he fell limply onto the ground. "Er, Mr. J? I don't think they liked your message."

The Joker turned around and looked at the man on the ground, letting out a bark of laughter. "Now that's more like it! Respond to their response boys!" He laughed harder as the rest of the men fired at will out of the windows, imagining the carnage that might lay outside. The sounds of battle were so enthralling, he didn't notice as a thing cable descended from the ceiling, a looped end wrapping itself around one of his ankles until it had gone tight, jerking him up from his perch on the bomb. He laughed as he was lifted up into the rafters, watching as Batgirl and Tigress used their own lines to get to the floor, landing softly next to the bomb. Once he was as close to the ceiling as the rafter he was suspended on allowed, he jerked around wildly until he'd twisted far enough to see his captor. He came face to face with Nightwing, tilting his head to the side a little to make up for the fact that he was upside down. A laugh bubbled out of his throat and he relaxed, contenting himself to find the fact that the boy looked upside was funny. "Oh Boy Wonder, it's just you. I was hoping for the Big Bat, but I guess I can't have everything in life." He relaxed his arms, letting them hang down by his head, swinging them a little to give his hold body some momentum.

"I'm taking you back to Arkham." Nightwing said flatly, looking at the Joker with a stern well-kept expression.

"I'd say you and what army, but they seem to be busy already." The Joker laughed again and suddenly jerked forward, grabbing Nightwing's head in his hands and delivering a sharp blow to his forehead with his own, knocking the hero off balance. With a flick of his wrist, a joker card appeared in his hand, then flew out, cutting the line that held him aloft. He reached out, catching on to the catwalk's railing and pulled himself up next to Nightwing who was shaking his head to clear its sudden fuzziness. "Shall we dance little bird?"

On the ground below them, Batgirl was leaning over the bomb, a small tool kit spread out next to her, A panel on the side of the bomb was open, a mess of wires and switches now exposed. Tigress stood next to her with her crossbow loaded. She hadn't fired at anyone, hoping to keep attention off of them as long as possible. The strategy seemed to work until the sounds of gunfire became loud enough to wake the two sleeping hyenas. The first to stand ran at them. Tigress raised her bow, letting a tranquilizer arrow fly at the animal, catching it in the shoulder. It fell back to the ground unconscious. The second was close behind, leaping at Tigress and snapping its teeth close to her throat. She feel backwards, letting the momentum carry her into a roll. When she righted herself she fired her next arrow, a net flying at the hyena and pinning it against a stack of crates against the far wall. The animal let out a high pitched whine, piercing enough to draw Harley's attention.

"Nobody hurts my babies!" She cried, raising her tommy gun and aiming at Tigress. Tigress dove for cover as Harlye fired, a few of the clowns joining in as well, having finally noticed the heroes' presence. Batgirl ducked behind the bomb, continuing to work furiously.

"Right, just shoot at the nuclear device! Like nothing could go wrong with that." Batgirl half growled to herself, cutting a bundle of wires, ducking her head lower as a few bullets whistled overhead, uncomfortably close. Tigress popped up, returning fire with a handful of smoke bombs. Each one popped, releasing a dark grey cloud of gas. Taking quick advantage of the cover, she leapt forward racing at the clowns with her sword drawn.

"So where is old bats for brains? I can't believe he doesn't want to dance with me himself. Though I suspect if I kill you, he'll show up soon after." The Joker cackled high above the fighting below. He lashed out with one blade bearing hand, only to have it knocked aside by Nightwing's baton. Another laugh escaped him as he put one hand on each side of the railing, kicking his legs up, catching Nightwing in the chest and face, sending him flying backwards. He crashed down on the catwalk, leaving the Joker free to advance on him. The man stepped forward, but stopped suddenly; he leaned over the edge of the railing catching sight of Batgirl crouched next to the bomb. "Although I could just kill two bats with one stone. Or bullet as it were." He smiled and reached into his coat, pulling out a revolver and leveling it at Batgirl. His thumb lifted from the handle arching over the hammer and clicking it back.

"No!" Nightwing's eyes widened as he pushed up from the ground, barely getting himself back to a stand before falling into a dead run straight towards the Joker. Before he knew it, he was crashing into the man, hearing the gunfire upon the impact. The bullet sailed through the air before striking Batgirl in the back.

She stiffened for a moment feeling a sharp sting. The shot hadn't been distinguishable from all the others sounding through the room, except for the fact that she felt this one. Her legs shook a bit, before she fell sideways, the blinding pain now blooming out across her body. It occurred to her that she was lying in a growling pool of her own blood before she closed her eyes.

Nightwing's fist pounded into the Joker's face one more time before he looked down at Batgirl, horror creeping onto his face. As he stared down at the girl, the front doors of the building exploded inward, a flood of men pouring in behind the smoke. The exchange of gunfire grew heavier in the closer quarters as soldiers began to mix with the clowns. A brilliant red blur moved through the turmoil, coming to a halt next to Batgirl. Nightwing relaxed only a little until the Joker chuckled quietly. He turned to look at the man, blood smearing his already scarlet smile.

"That's another one down, two to go." The Joker's laughter escalated as Nightwing's fist reared back, preparing to connect with his face one last time. Expecting the reaction, the Joker reached out with his own hand, a buzzer in his palm sending a jolt through the hero's body, making him fall backwards, unconscious. Laughing hysterically, the Joker sat up, reaching into his jacket yet again to pull out the bomb trigger. Standing up, he straightened his jacket and looked down, seeing the bomb half dismantled and resting in The Flash's arms. A deranged grin spread across his face as he extended his arm and pressed the button.

A barely audible click had Flash turning at top speed, watching as the world around him appeared to slow. He looked up, hiseyes widening at the sight of the clown holding out the bomb trigger, his finger holding down the comically large red buttong on it. The slight vibrating in his hands told him that the bomb had been activated and would detonate in a matter of seconds, the core inside of it strong enough to wipe out no less than half of the city. Looking down at the bomb, he found himself feeling more like Barry Allen than The Flash in that moment. His braing cycled through every option, only managing to comeup with two. He could either run away from the bomb, or run with it. Faster than he knew he could think, a stream of images flooded his head- his son's first steps, that he would never get to see. Never giving his daughter away at her wedding. Never seeing Iris smile that smile at him again. Never knowing what would happen. The blabber mouth that Bart was, he'd gotten a few spoilers out of, but not near enough. He wanted all of it, not just passing glimpses or short imaginings. At the same time, he knew he could never look at his family, knowing they knew he had let thousands of people die. Including Artemis. He'd sworn on Wally's empty grave that he would protect her like his own family. With that in mind, he settled on a decision, already wanting to set a good example for his unborn children.

All of these thoughts occurred to him in microseconds, but the bomb was already shaking more than it had initially. Not letting another microsecond go by, he took off out of the building, away from the docks, and across the water towards the open ocean. With each step the bomb grew more active, but he kept going, each step also carrying it farther and farther from anyone it could harm. Another click was followed by an enormous brilliant flash of blinding light.

Nightwing opened his eyes as the catwalk under him shook and the white light he'd seen from behind his eyelids began to fade. He sat up quickly, pulling on the railing to help himself to his feet. Farther down the catwalk, the Joker was jumping up and down, screaming and flailing his arms.

"No, no, no! It's ruined! It's not fair!" The Joker was so intent on his own misery that he failed to nitced as Nightwing approached, delivering a final blow to his face and knocking the clown out cold. He looked down to the ground, seeing the rest of the Joker's henchmen had surrendered. Flipping over the railing, Nightwing landed on the ground and sprinted over to where Batgirl had fallen, kneeling next to Tigress who was already bandaging the wound in her back.

"She's alive and I've stopped the bleeding." Tigress said quickly, noting the fear on Nightwing's face and knowing her own must match. Quiet had settled over the room, except for Harley's protests as she was dragged outside, followed by the rest of the cuffed henchmen. The two heroes exchanged a worried glance before Nightiwng lifted Batgirl into his arms and followed the army troops out.

Tigress stood up slowly, having to force her gaze away from the horribly large pool of blood on the ground at her feet. With a quiet sigh she started to walk out of the building, holding her radio to her mouth. "Tigress to Flash, Tigress to Flash, come in. Flash respond." Her next words were lost as she gasped, walking out onto the dock. In the distance, a dark mushroom shaped cloud was rising into the night sky.

Watchtower

September 13

00:01 EDT

Iris paced across the room she was in, watched by Black Canary and Green Arrow from the far side of the room. Green Arrow was trying to contact Barry for what seemed like the thousandth time to her. She waited with baited breath, hating that all she could here was the quiet but deafening static on the other end of the radio. As the two of them exchanged a glance then turned to look at her, she let out an involuntary sob. As one after the other followed it she lifted her hands to her face, hoping to hold back the sounds. Her knees gave out and she slowly sank to the floor, the empty feeling inside her chest feeling like a weight she couldn't bear. Black Canary's voice just barely reached her ears as she tried the radio again, sounding hopeful. Iris held her head in her hands, knowing nothing but silence would answer.

* * *

**Due to my work schedule, I no longer have the time I want to dedicate to this so I will not be writing full episodes for this anymore. I'm sticking with the group as an editor and will maybe be able to write a few scenes here and there, but I'm afraid that is all. It will continue to be posted here though.**

**This means that we are looking for writers! If anyone is interested, please let me know!**


	12. Alone

**Story by Darksuperboy**

**Written by me**

* * *

San Francisco

May 21

09:24 PDT

2063

The television screen crackled for a moment as power surged through the box. A barely audible mechanical hum filled the silent room as it flared to life, the brightening picture on the screen illuminating the area around it, casting dark shadows on the far wall. Seconds ticked by like hours until the frozen image on the screen began to move.

"Good morning Central City." Linda Park's voice was strong, but not as cheery as usual. The smile on her face was simply one of politeness, completely without joy or happiness. "A memorial service is being held today for our city's greatest hero, The Flash. The speedster was reported as killed in action last week saving Gotham City. As you are all mostly likely aware, the Joker's threats concerning his possession of a nuclear bomb turned out to be all too real. His attempts at detonating the bomb were successful, but no other lives were lost thanks to The Flash. A statement was released by the Justice League on the morning of September 13th, not long after the blast. The Joker and his accomplices remain in the custody of Gotham Police and are awaiting trial. Commissioner Gordon gave a statement saying that the Joker's defense lawyers have once again claimed an insanity plea that will most likely result in his return to Arkham Asylum, rendering him ineligible for the death penalty. Thus far, a nationwide protest has sprung up, demanding penance for the immense loss of life due to the Joker's previous actions as well as the aftermath of the most recent event.

Commissioner Gordon's own daughter, Barbara Gordon, is being held in Intensive Care at Gotham General Hospital. The girl was reportedly shot by looters shortly before the detonation of the bomb. Gordon has declined all comments on the subject." Linda paused for a few moments, seeming to compose herself as she shuffled the stack of papers in her hands before laying them flat on the desk in front of her.

"On another equally distressing note, GBS News' own Iris West-Allen, a long time news anchor and friend, has also suffered a loss this past week. Her husband, Barry Allen, a CSI for the Central City Police Department, was killed in a car crash while attempting to return to the city and his family. Our hearts and prayers go out to Iris and her family, as well as to everyone who has endured injury or the loss of loved ones this week." Linda paused again, lifting one hand to wipe at the tears that were brimming in her eyes. She cleared her throat then looked back into the camera. "We will return after these messages with a full timetable of the memorial, and interviews with a few people whose lives have been saved by our fallen hero, as well as how recent events will affect the city's remaining speedster, Kid Flash."

The image began to fade to the GNS logo, but not fast enough to completely conceal Linda's silhouette as she turned away, burying her face in her hands and choking on strangled sobs that she'd managed to hold back during the broadcast. As the screen went black, the blurred reflection of Wally's face appeared. Tears filled his emerald eyes, beginning to spill down his cheeks. A click reached his ears as M'Gann turned the TV off, laying the remote down next to her before walking up next to him.

"I'm sorry Wally." M'Gann said quietly, not wanting to startle him. "I shouldn't have…" She trailed off, watching as Wally lifted one hand and covered his face, putting the other up to stop her words.

"It's not your fault. I've been pestering you for days to tell me what happened to everyone, and it's not your fault what happened to them either." Wally's voice came out quick and choppy, like he was just barely hanging onto his control. He stood and strode over to the door, never taking his hands from his face, the sound of his steps interlaced with quiet sniffling. "I'm…I'm going to go for a run. I'll be back in a second okay." Before M'Gann had a chance to answer him, he took off out the door and was soon completely out of sight.

M'Gann floated slowly down the dark corridor, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she was lost in thought. A mix of emotions flooded her as she thought about Wally and what he must be feeling as well. All the heartbreak and pain she'd felt at the many loses over the years was crashing down on him in what had to feel like a much shorter length of time. Despite all of it, she'd seen him be so much more than she'd ever thought he was capable, which had been a lot to begin with. The men around him were all working that much harder, inspired by his perseverance and dedication. It almost made her happy to see him reaching the potential she had seen in him the first time they'd met, but she quickly pushed the feeling away, knowing it wasn't the time for it.

With a repressed sigh, M'Gann stopped in the middle of the hall and glanced at the door to her room from the corner of her eye, then across the hall to the door opposite it. Where a blank space had once been, a black bolt of lightning had been painted on the door there, a surprisingly startling contrast considering the demure color. Deciding against going to her room, she turned towards the other door and raised one hand, knocking softly before phasing through it. Her feet settled lightly on the ground, her eyes flicking around the dimly lit room. Like everywhere else in the base, it was windowless, the only source of light at the moment being the soft glow of a dimmed lamp on the bedside table. The room had previously been used for storage, housing equipment and other necessities, but had been converted to make a room for Wally. One of the rows of shelving had been left behind and tipped on its side to make a base for his bed. The mattress on top of it wasn't much, but still managed to be more comfortable than anyone could have hoped for. A table stood against one wall, a few heaps of metal and tools lying atop it. M'Gann couldn't help but smile, imagining Wally hunched over it, tinkering with whatever it was he had found. The rest of the room was bare and quiet, except for the slight sound of Wally's breathing. Floating over to stand at the edge of his bed, M'Gann looked down at him, concerned and curious. He was leaning against the wall with his back pressed to it where the headboard would have been, had there been one. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his shoulders were hunched with his head hanging near his knees. Overall he looked rather crumpled and lost. M'Gann didn't make a sound as she sat lightly on the other side of the bed, leaning against the wall.

A few minutes ticked by and the only movement between the two was Wally's fist slowly clenching on his knee. After studying the action for a few moments, M'Gann lifted her own hand and gently laid it over his, causing him to twitch in response. In less time than she thought possible, Wally had turned towards her, hiding his face in her shoulder, strangled sobs making his shoulders shake as he tried and failed to hold them in. Stinging tears pricked at her own eyes and she leaned into him, wrapping her arms around her friend in the only comfort she could give him. Her mouth opened a few times, but no words would come out so she settled for gently rubbing his back in slow soothing circles. M'Gann lost track of the time and how long they sat there, silently taking comfort on the embrace as well, hoping it would help him as well. When a quiet buzzing rang through the room, she sighed and frowned, waiting for what would come next.

_"Will Miss Martian and The Flash report to the main control room."_

M'Gann and Wally both started to pull away from the hug, understanding that the statement might have sounded like a question, but was actually an order. She looked at Wally's face, noticing the redness around his eyes and the tracks his tears had left across his cheeks. "You don't have to come, you know." She said gently.

"It wouldn't be as much fun if I didn't." Wally said laughing quietly and wiping his face. He stood up quickly, holding his hand out towards her. "Let's go."

Wally walked into the command center, seeing the room was busy as usual. People walked across the room at speeds that would usually have seemed odd indoors, especially for normal people, but he'd grown used to it over the weeks. The banks of computers cast white and blue light around the darker areas of the room, reflecting brightly in their operator's eyes. He glanced slightly over his shoulder to make sure M'Gann was still there, just behind him, then angled toward the middle of the room where Michael stood, scowling at the clipboard being handed to him by a young man. As they got closer, his ears picked up the sound of Michael grumbling under his breath.

"Fifty years in an apocalyptic war and somehow paper work manages to survive the whole thing." Michael's voice was halfway to a growl as he signed the papers with a quick flick of the pen in his hand. As he looked up, handing the clipboard away, he spotted the two approaching. "There you are. We were just about to start."

Wally crossed his arms over his chest, looking around the familiar situation. "Another communication upload?" He guessed.

"Yes, but this one is different. Every resistance base this side of the Atlantic is going into full link up." Michael said proudly. "You're about to witness something that only happens once a year, and it's happening early. All because of you."

"Link up in thirty seconds. All checks are green, sir." One man called out from the end of a row of computers.

"Me?" Wally looked at Michael, clearly surprised. And a bit concerned. "Why me? What did I do?"

"There are some people who would like to see you again." M'Gann chipped in grinning. Her smile grew even wider as Wally's confusion became evident on his face.

"Fifteen seconds, sir!" Michael looked away from Wally and straightened the front of his jacket, standing up to his full height. The lights around the room began to dim, even the glow of the computers lowering to a light glimmer. "We are go in five, four, three, two, one."

The darkness in the room was forced away as multiple large screens lit up, each baring a face. Wally was surprised that a few of them looked familiar, though he only recognized Batman. He wanted to speak, but held it in, knowing some serious conversations were about to take place.

"We've estimated three minutes link time, sir." Another man called out. "Granny seems to be on a roll today." Though their time was short, everyone waited quietly, expecting whoever the leader was to speak first. Wally wasn't sure, but had a good idea of who that might be.

"Good morning. I've requested this meeting ahead of schedule due to an important discovery I have made regarding the enemy, as well as to discuss our newest addition." Batman spoke, confirming Wally's suspicion. He looked as if he had more to say, but was interrupted by a man on another of the screens. His hair was gray but he was still quite well muscled despite his apparent age.

"Is he there? Can we see him?" He asked eagerly. Michael turned away from the screens and motioned to Wally, beckoning him forward. Wally swallowed hard and took a few hesitant steps forward, standing in front of the bank of screens as Michael stepped back. "Oh wow! It is you! Look at him. He hasn't even changed a bit!"

Wally blinked a few times, the tone in the man's voice ringing a bell of recognition. "Billy…is that you?" He asked peering at the man.

"He even sounds the same!" The reply came out as a laugh. "You got it in one guess, West."

"Wow." Wally stared at him, mildly shocked. "You look so…"

"Old?" Billy offered. "That tends to happen when you skip several decades in one go. It's good to see you Wally."

"Agreed." The robotic voice cut in, startling Wally a bit, making him turn around quickly to face another of the screens. "But we should return to the matter at hand. Time is limited."

"Red Tornado." Wally said simply amazed.

"That is correct." Red Tornado responded like it was the most obvious thing. Wally supposed he should have figured the robot wouldn't age, but the fact that he was still around surprised him. "I must restate our need to return to the purpose of this meeting. I estimate we have a further 1.54 minutes before we must disengage communication. Please continue Batman." Wally smiled a little, before stepping back to allow Michael to take his place.

"I will not go in to detail just in case our signal is intercepted, but I believe I may have found a means of ending this war." Batman said flatly. Everyone remained silent, stunned.

"Could you repeat that?" Michale asked, sounding more than a little shocked.

"You heard me. I will not divulge the details over this link." Batman repeated. "I have requested a meeting of all Resistance commanders and officials in Gotham as soon as possible."

"That's a major request Bats." Billy interjected. "You've got to at least give us something."

"No! This could be the best chance we've got to end this once and for all and I will not jeopardize that just to satisfy your curiousity." Batman exclaimed. He paused, waiting for the others to speak. Michael let out a sigh, disguised as an extended breath.

"Alright Bats, if you think you've got something, we'll check it out. We'll have route details and our estimated travel time ready for you by the next transmission. Any objections?" Michael paused, but no one said anything. He looked over his shoulder at a computer. "The downloads are complete, and we've only got another ten seconds of signal time left. Meeting adjourned?" The screens went dark again in answer; the only one that remained was Batman's, his face looking blank and stoic.

"Bring the kid." He said quickly, before his screen went black. Darkness completely covered the room for a few seconds before the lights turned on again. Michael sighed and turned around to see every pair of eyes in the room on him.

"Well, you heard the man!" He stepped down from the platform, motioning to one of the desks. "I'm going to need a long range convoy set up with the next twenty-four hours. Everyone relevant to this should meet me in my office in half an hour. I want a complete written inventory of every mission brief for the last year." The still room erupted into life as the people dashed to carry out the orders. Michael relaxed his shoulders, but only slightly, then glanced at M'Gann and Wally. He walked over, stopping in front of them.

"Yes?" Wally asked, waiting for an order.

"You two come with me." Michael said before brushing past them and out of the room.

The three of them moved fluidly down the corridor, the people they passed moving to the side, some stopping to salute them as they passed. Wally clipped his steps to stay just behind Michael as they walked, his eyes flicking over to M'Gann questioningly a few times.

"We haven't tried a city to city convoy of this size in years." Michael said suddenly looking to the side at M'Gann as well. "What's it like in the No Man's Land?"

"Pretty bad." M'Gann said quietly, biting her lower lip for a moment. "I don't know how we're going to get you all through."

"I could run a few you there in a snap. It wasn't much of a problem when I was moving around before I ran into you all." Wally offered.

"You got lucky." Michael said flatly, but obviously rejecting the idea.

"Come on, how bad can it be?" Wally asked, startled as the other two stopped suddenly. Michael turned around to look at him, his face serious.

"Let me tell you what's out there. First, you've got Apocoliptian forces completely infesting the place. They're in the sky too so we can't just fly over the mess. Second, the renegades on the ground no longer follow anyone and just kill everything they see. There are beasts that somehow managed to escape their cages roaming around looking for their next meal; lone humans scavenging everything they can find who would kill you just for the clothes off your back if they got the chance; deadly terrain; disease; basically death waiting around every corner. Did I forget anything?" He looked at M'Gann for a moment as Wally blinked at him, stunned into silence. "Few people are capable of surviving it on their own. Miss Martian is the only one with the abilities to even try it anymore."

"Couldn't we use the bioship?" Wally asked. M'Gann gasped quietly, making Michael turn to look at her again.

"M'Gann, you haven't told him yet?" He asked quietly. M'Gann closed her eyes and looked away, her expression a mixture of shame and sadness.

"Told me what?" Wally asked looking between them. "What else am I missing?"

"Wally, there is no bioship anymore. Here or anywhere else for that matter." Michael sighed, putting a comforting hand on M'Gann's shoulder. "M'Gann isn't just the only Martian on Earth; she's the last Martian in the universe."

"What? That's not possible." Wally exclaimed, despite noting the very serious look on Michael's face. He turned to M'Gann, blinking slowly. "Why didn't you say something before? All this time…" He trailed off, not really wanting to finish the thought.

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't." M'Gann finally spoke, looking up into Wally's eyes, her own brimming with fresh tears. "You were already hurting so much and with everything you had to deal with already…You have plenty of your own pain, I didn't want to burden you with mine." Before she could blink away the next round of tears that were spilling down her cheeks, Wally had crushed her to his chest in a tight hug.

"That's what friends are for Miss M." Wally said quietly, tightening his hold as M'Gann let out a sound of shock, but returned the embrace anyway. They held onto each other for a few moments before a cough brought them back to the present. Wally opened his eyes, not realizing he'd closed them, and looked at Michael, remembering the man was there and that they were in the middle of a crowded and busy hallway. Even so, he refused to let go of M'Gann just yet.

"Well it looks like you two have a few things to talk about." Michael said turning away. He started to walk down the hall and looked back at them over his shoulder. "You can both return to your quarters. I'll send for you when we're ready to leave."

M'Gann opened the door to her room, leaving it open behind her as she walked inside, a silent invitation for Wally to do the same. He followed, but stopped near the door, looking around her sparsely furnished room. It looked very bare, but what little the room did contain was meticulously organized. Her bed was pristinely made, but the blanket crumpled as she sat down quickly, losing confidence in her legs' ability to hold her up at that moment. Wally looked down at her, then pulled the chair from her desk around so that he could sit across form her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked gently, leaning his elbows onto his knees and folding his hands together after a long period of strangely awkward silence.

M'Gann shook her head, lifting her gaze from her lap to look at his face. Her eyes glowed briefly. _No. But I can show you._ She lifted one hand with agonizing slowness, letting her fingertips hover just barely off the side of Wally's head, waiting. His short nod was all the encouragement she needed to lay her hand against his temple.

_The interior of the Hall of Justice looked just as Wally remembered it, but instead of clean white washed walls and smooth glass windows lining them, everything was cracked and crumbling as if and earthquake had shaken it. A tremble ran through the ground, followed by the roar of an explosion from outside had him turning to look out of the windows. Outside high above the tops of the building around them, thousands of alien crafts were raining red beams of light down on the people below them, not caring who or what they destroyed. He began to grow a little dizzy as he jerked around, the sound of door opening behind him setting his heart racing, even though he knew it wasn't really happening. Beast Boy was running out of the room, Miss Martian held carefully in his arms, a fresh burn marring the side of her face._

_ "We lost so many, just in the first hour." M'Gann said appearing next to him in her current state. "Including my uncle."_

_ She turned to look out the window. Wally looked at her for a while before following her gaze outside. A few jets were flying into the scene, most of them falling in the first few minutes, struck down by the brilliant red laser like beams flying from the alien crafts. The few missiles that managed to make contact with the ships barely damaged them at all. Just when Wally was starting to think there was nothing to be done, a bright beam of pure energy streaked through the sky, taking out a few of the larger hover tanks along with a number of the smaller ones. He could just make out the blurred outline of the camouflaged bioshop moving between the enemy crafts, firing all of its weapons as it went. A bit of pride pricked at him as he thought that at least they weren't going to get an easy victory out of this; the feeling faded as a stray bolt clipped the side of the ship, rendering visible. Finding they now had something particular to aim at, a barrage of fire rained down on the bioship, sending it crashing to the ground off in the distance. The image before him began to glow then faded._

_ Wally now found himself in a dark pipe, feeling smothered by the foul smell coming up from the water he stood in that was nearly knee deep. The air around him was cold and damp, and rank with the smell of a sewer. In front of him, peering around a corner in the pipe was Red Arrow. His bow was clutched in his hands, an arrow loosely knocked and ready to be fired if the need arose. He moved forward, followed by Nightwing. Batgirl was held in his arms, out of her uniform and looking a bit pale. An alligator shaped Beast Boy was moving through the water behind them, with Miss Martian just behind him, floating just above the surface of the water. Her face was blistered and tear tracks stained her skin._

_ "It had been three days since the invasion started when it happened." M'Gann said in a shaking voice. Wally kept his eyes on the group, not really knowing what he was waiting for. Suddenly, Miss Martian stopped, grabbing the sides of her head. She dropped down into the water, crumpling under as she went completely limp. Beast Boy flipped around, shifting out of the alligator form and into his human one. He reached into the water, hauling Miss Martian back to the surface. She started to curl into a tight ball as he held onto her, her mouth opened and a heart-wrenching scream poured out that seemed as if it would never end, echoing eerily around the pipes. "They were killing them then. All of them."_

_ Fragments of broke images flashed in his mind. A rocky landscape tinged in red with a red tinted sky, a heavy shadow covered as far as he could see. Wally didn't look up, knowing he would see the War World there. He closed his eyes as the artificial planet's largest weapon began to fire, the beam striking Mars far off in front of him. As the ground began to shake he opened his eyes, just in time to see a dusty cloud rising from the ground billowing forward, rushing at him with astonishing speed. The crust of the planet began to break apart, great splits tearing down towards the planets core. Massive chunks of it rose up with the wave of dust, flying in all directions. Thunderous cracking sounds joined the roar of the wind in his ears, the distant sound of millions of screams breaking into his mind. He covered his ears, a desperate attempt to block out the horrendous sound. Light enveloped him once more and the screaming stopped._

_ Wally opened his eyes, seeing nothing but white beneath his feet. He straightened up, taking his hands away from his ears. M'Gann was floating in front of him, her hood pulled up over her head._

_ "The Light and Darkseid thought my people were too much of a risk just to rule them. They decided to wipe them out instead." Her voice was quiet and a little shaky. "I am the last Martian. I am alone."_

_ Wally reached out, finding himself floating as he moved toward her, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug. _

_ "Not anymore."_

San Francisco

May 22

10:24 PDT

2063

The garage was full of vehicles in varying size and shape; a few random cars were lined up amongst trucks and Humvees, a few tanks clustered together on the far end. Of all the vehicles in the garage, three of them positioned closest to the garage entrance, were receiving the most intention undergoing final checks. Michael walked alongside each of them, looking thoughtful, his eyes slightly narrowed in focus. The first was considered the crown jewel of the fleet of armored vehicles the Resistance possessed, a M1A3 Abrams affectionately referred to as Roadblock. The tank had been one of the most state of the art pieces of machinery in the world before the invasion; they'd been hard to find even before that, having just come off the drawing board so to speak. Though they had been limited in number they had been used during the first waves of fighting and the weapons systems that included a few canons and a high caliber machine gun had been doing a fine job ever since then.

Next to it stood The Marauder; the armored personnel carrier would play home to everyone going on this little trip. They had acquired the behemoth of a vehicle from a rather paranoid- but rightfully so- billionaire. Extra armor had been added to the windows, in addition to miniature rotating turret guns attached to the top, accessible by a hatch in the roof. The vehicle was essentially the safest RV anyone could hope for. The last of the trio was by far the favorite of the engineers in charge of the garage. A relic left over from World War II nick named Big Momma, it had been rescued from a war museum and shoved back into battle after a seventy-five year break. It was simple on the inside which made maintenance and repairs easier than with any of the newer vehicles; more complicated parts were harder to come by these days. It sported and even larger cannon than the first tank, making it much more formidable than it looked.

Michael reached the end of the short row of vehicles, giving Big Momma an affectionate pat, like a dog that had brought him the morning paper. He smiled around the room, feeling a swell of pride at what the crews had accomplished in such a short time. A sigh escaped him as he was handed another clipboard, this time bearing a list. As he poured over it, Devastation walked up next to him, crossing her arms over her chest and waiting silently.

"I take it you're not a fan of this idea." He said flatly, knowing he didn't need to bother with making it a question.

"No." Devastation replied, her voice just as flat. The single word was all she needed to say to get to the point.

"If you would prefer I could always leave you in command and go without you." Michael smiled at the thought of Devastation stuck behind a desk, the mountains of paper on it slowly building until she was lost to the tortures of paperwork.

"No." Again flatly and to the point.

"Then you're just annoyed by the idea of being stuck in the back of a truck for a few days?" Michael asked raising an eyebrow. Devastation's only reply this time was silence. He looked up from the list to see a look on her face that was clearly asking if he knew what he was doing, causing him to smile a little. "It won't be that bad. I mean, you know what I mean. I know you're looking forward to fighting for our lives."

At the far end of the garage, Wally and M'Gann walked in through a small side door, both of them dressed in regulation uniforms. Michael smiled over at the two of them, waving them over.

"Glad you two could join us. We're leaving in five minutes." Michael called out. He produced a whistle from a chain around his neck and blew on it, drawing everyone's attention as he climbed up to stand on Big Momma. "Listen up everyone! You all know what we're about to do so I'm going to give you all a chance to back out. Nobody will blame you if you chose to do so. Everyone still up for this mission, take one step forward." Wally and M'Gann exchanged a glanced before stepping forward, along with everyone else in the room. Michael jumped down from Big Momma, angling towards a group of Marines and gesturing to M'Gann and Wally.

"Miss Martian, Flash, and all of you are Alpha with the Marauder. Roadblock crew is on point with me. Big Momma will bring up the rear with Devastation. We're taking the south east highway out of here so we'll be open to the enemy, but they'll be drawn off by our distraction units. One last engine check them we're out of here!"

With Michael's last word, the group split, and moved to their assigned vehicles. Wally stuck close to M'Gann's side, following her lead. Someone handed him a helmet with a radio inside as he climbed into the belly of the marauder; he put it on, seeing that everyone else was doing so. He slid into his seat, feeling a bit cramped as he was stuck between M'Gann and a very large man.

"I'll make some room." M'Gann said smiling, shrinking down a bit. Wally relaxed a little, no longer completely stuck.

"Thanks." Wally whispered, before a crackling near his ear alerted him to the speaker in his helmet flaring to life.

_"Okay, I need a go or no go from every crew on radios and engine. Roadblock?" _Michael's voice sounded strange and mechanical over the radio.

_"Roadblock is go, sir."_

_ "Marauder?" _There was a pause as the man in the driver's seat turned on the engine, the vehicle roaring to life.

_"Marauder is go." _The man's voice reached Wally's ears a second before it echoed through the radio.

_"Big Momma?" _Light flooded through the gaps made by the windows as the headlights from the other vehicle lit up with the starting of its engine.

_"Big Momma is ready to roll!"_

_ "Alright, you heard Momma! Let's roll!"_ Michael's voice sounded like he might have been laughing.

Wally's hands clenched on his knees as he waited, unsure if the tank was moving or not; a moment later a soft lurch told him it had. He closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths as the convoy began to move down the long tunnel that would lead outside. Soon they would be on their way to Gotham, and hopefully, to the end of the war.

* * *

**Thank you for all the support with finding a couple new writers! It's so helpful and nice to see everyone so interested in the project.**


	13. Aftermath

**Story by Darksuperboy**

**Written by TheHero-Guy (posted here with his permission)**

* * *

Apokolips  
September 29  
09:16 UST

Darkness engulfed the charcoal black walls of Darkseid's impressive fortress, while a faint red glow managed to lick the outside of the burnt surfaces. This light emanated from the large pits that were just outside the building, creating an eerie ambiance. A figure overlooking the dreadful scenery from a balcony then looked up. The sky from above him only allowed slivers of pale moonlight to escape due to the thick smoke and hoards of parademons flying in a mad frenzy. The flames then revealed the figure to be none other than Vandal Savage, who amongst the cloud of parademons and ash, could see that the War world was well in orbit above this hell pit.

He then heard heavy footsteps approaching, yet didn't turn to see who it was because he already knew. Darkseid. The heartless giant then entered Vandal Savage's peripheral vision as he too looked over his kingdom. Savage was the first to break the silence once he was next to him.

"You've tamed your planet quite well."

In slow response, Darkseid spoke with a deep, yet powerfully intimidating voice. "Let us hope the same can be done for yours."

Savage, in turn, replied with sure confidence. "With our combined forces I see no problem, and when Earth's people have been properly educated, we will take our rightful place in the galaxy beside our allies, and together tame the rest of the universe."

Before anything else could be said, the hard scraping sound of someone shuffling towards them broke the conversation. The source of the noise turned out to be none other than one of Darkseid's faithful servants, Desaad, who entered the balcony. Darkseid, still facing the bloody sky, spoke. "What news do you bring Desaad?"

Desaad in response stopped, bowed to his master, and replied. "My lord, the boom tube gateway is progressing as planned. I predict completion by the end of human's earth calendar year."

Savage clenched his teeth, as he had opposed the idea of waiting so long to begin the invasion that he had waited for nearly 50000 years for, but the Light's power in his home world had been severely diminished by the meddling of the justice league and their younger counterparts. That incident had been the last straw, and wished more than anything to not give them any more of a foothold on which to build a defense. But, nonetheless, he now had to think on the large picture he had always dreamed of since the discovery of his immortality, and if the Darkseid's forces were to invade now, they would have to do so without the support of the War world due to its inability to create a boom tube large enough for it. That, and Earth's forces may last long enough for assistance to arrive, be it from the Green Lantern Corp, the Martians, or the enemies of Apokolips itself.

Darkseid was right, it would be better to wait until all the pieces could be put into play, while they waited they still had a task to be done. There was that and Luthor's last message informing him about their technological infiltration of Earth's forces was progressing faster than expected.

As if reading Savage's mind, the mad giant then spoke. "And what of our operatives on Earth?"

Desaad, in turn, replied by raising his head a little. "The earthling allies are following the plan you have laid out for them my lord."

In approval, Darkseid, then turned to Vandal, revealing his fiery red eyes. "Your world will soon belong to its rightful ruler…"

Savage replied with a burning anger. "And he will remember and help those who put him there."

He then then lifted his head back up to the distant stars through the smoke, hoping to see the one that would soon be his, but then smiled as he read Desaad's latest report over the unfortunate events that had happened to his enemies.

September 29  
Hall of Justice  
10:17

Although Justice Hall was now fully repaired and up and running smoothly, its grand reopening had been on a somber note. With the death of one of its founding members, the hall didn't quite feeling complete for those who worked inside it, and the golden statue that represented that hero seemed dull without its real counterpart beside it. But a hero's job is never done and crime didn't stop for anyone. After the Joker's last performance, the entire country had been put into complete chaos and was only now recovering, with some places faster than others. Central City being one of them, especially with its greatest hero gone, it was left vulnerable, bringing out its super villains who had thought it would be best for an easy crime spree, but they had quickly learned it was not best to call attention to themselves in front of a mourning Justice League.

From the second Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Abra Kadabra , Heat wave, The Trickster, Weather wizard, and Mirror master raised the first alarm, they were quickly met by the entire league plus sidekicks and many other heroes all looking more than annoyed. It was at that point that they all decided it'd be in the group's best interest to surrender without a fight against Earth's greatest heroes. This small incident brought the League a very important concern. Who will defend the fallen hero's home? That is why the group was gathered together to set up a rotating duty schedule so that Central City would never be without a hero.

Inside the Main Hall were a group consisting of Tigress, Starfire, and Superboy who were waiting for the last arrival, until the zeta tube finally activated.

"Recognized, Blue Beetle, B22."

From the tube emerged a fully suited Jaime, who was met by the small group of young heroes. Superboy was the first to greet him, as he patted him on the back. "Blue, good to see you back."

Jaime, however tried his best to smile, and replied with a small hint of anguish. "Thanks. Though, I'm not sure how much help I would be…"

All of them knew that he was referring to the Flash's funeral, which Jaime had attended out of suit, yet received the cold shoulder from Bart when he had tried to console his friend. Not to mention the understandably high tensions with most of Central City's population about the Reach having inspired the Joker's last act that had cost them the life of their hero. He felt the weight of the entire city's disappointment and resentment, which was caught by Tigress, who rested her hand on his shoulder.

"Give him time. He's just...hurting." The blonde hero could definitely relate to Jaime, and had been a massive support to Iris during this tragic time, just like she had been there for her when she had lost Wally.

Jaime then released a deep sigh, and then looked to the others with sadness. "I guess. So... are we waiting on anyone else?

Tigress then shook her head, and walked over to the computer as she spoke. "No. Now that you're here, we're good to go."

She then typed the location of Central City into computer, after all the young heroes wanted the public to know that there were still heroes protecting them, so were resolved to show more of themselves outside of shadows. As the Zeta tube whirred to life, the group entered together, and disappeared in a flash of light.

September 29  
Gotham General Hospital  
10:27

Within one of the rooms of the muted Physical Therapy Wing of the building, a red headed girl held herself up in between two balancing poles, trying with all her strength and efforts to accomplish what used to be a seemingly simple task: move her legs. Barbara Gordon refused to give up and believe the heart wrenching truth. She didn't quite remember what had happened, but was told that after Dick managed to get her to the hospital, the damage that had been done, and it had been too late. The Joker's bullet had caused severe damage to her spine and resulted in a 95% loss of motor control to the lower half of her body. The damage would have been lethal, were it not for her body armor. In her mind, she was deeply angered by the irony that it was unlikely she would of been shot at like that if she hadn't been wearing the suit, which she could now never wear again.

In the first few days after the accident, she had hated everyone who showed up next to her bed, and had grown tired of telling her father that they were friends from school or pen pals, when really, she knew all of them in their costumes and alter egos. She had let them know how she felt, even if it confused her watching father, who on her instruction had been told to refuse entry to her ward, Bruce Wayne and his protege, Dick. The young woman had gotten over blaming them, and how could she after giving that speech to Lightning on that dreadful night. She just didn't want them to see her weak, which had lasted a few more days until she got a visit from someone unexpected: Iris West Allen.

Upon seeing the grieving widow, the younger redhead's anger dissipated, and listened to her wise, yet caring words. She had mostly spoken about cherishing the time she had with the ones she loved, and after that, the injured heroine had started letting people back in and began the emotional healing process. She then began to regain confidence in herself, and talked with her therapists, her father, but the most surprising was the fact that she had even talked to Bruce. Yet the only the person who wouldn't see her was the Dark Knight's former sidekick, who had surprisingly been reclusive towards her, which she hated. If anything, he was the one that needed to talk to her just as bad as she needed to talk to him. Dick had recently suffered so much, which led to her to think that this had been the last draw. Even after all that had happened to her, this made her sad for another person.

She was then brought back to reality by the sound of the bored nurse, who was too busy looking at her phone.

"You can do it, Barbara, just another few steps."

Barbara glared at the implication that this was easy to the nurse, but the heroine quickly dismissed the angry thought, and took a deep breath. With great effort and a large amount of time, the redhead managed to make the two more baby sized steps to the end of the runway before she collapsed into the waiting wheelchair. "Very good Miss Gordon, we need to make sure you keep that remaining motor control going, so you don't lose it..."

Barbara once again glared due to condescending tone from the nurse but managed to swallow the knot in her throat. Little did the trained woman know that Barbara had a 0.5 percent chance of surviving such a traumatic and life-threatening experience. To most people, that was considered a downright miracle. Her case meant the difference between being able to move your toes on your own and feeling your own legs, compared to being a vegetable from the waist down. Barbara was focusing on this incredibly significant thought and the current challenge of placing her feet onto the footrests of the wheelchair, when suddenly the nurse's voice once again interrupted her train of thought.

"Excuse me sir, can I help you?"

Barbara looked up to see a ruggedly exhausted young man standing before them in the doorway. At first, she did not recognize him, but it was because of the noticeably different features that were plaguing him. He had the start of an unkempt shadow around his lower face, along with bloodshot eyes and heavy bags under them. His clothes looked a bit torn, and dirty. Before them was none other than Dick Grayson, making Barbara's heart sink with sadness at the sight of it for how far he'd fallen. Yet her hope had been renewed by the fact that he had shown up.

"I, um…" Dick was confused about what to say both in general, and to the nurse. For a long time, Barbara released a small smile.

"Its ok. He's a friend." She then looked up at the nurse, who in turn was showing concern at the young man in the doorway. "Could you give us a minute Dr. Thompkins?

Still concerned about him, she nodded in agreement, walked past Dick, and mentioning. "I'll be right outside if you need me."

Barbara then nodded slightly back at her. It seemed that for the longest time, the two just stood there in silence, until Dick nervously began. "Its my fault…"

She then quickly cut him off in order to prevent any added tension, and spoke just above a whisper. "Dick, don't."

The wreck that was Dick refused to avoid the conversation though, and continued. "No it is, if I had just…"

Unwilling to yield, Barbara again cut him off, this time with more force. "You can't change what…"

Dick continued anyways, struggling to contain the tears that had been welling up in his eyes. "I could have! I could have changed so many things if has just…" He then stopped, and lowered his head, keeping his face hidden in the shadows.

Barbara could feel the emotional state he was in, and spoke comfortingly. "You made the right decisions." She then slowly wheeled herself forward, that way she was closer to him. "You did what was best."

From the distance that was between them, she could hear heavy breathing coming from the young man, with his legs quivering while talking. "It's all my fault. All of it. If I had just trusted you, or listened to him…" It was then that he broke out into tears, and fell to his knees, only to be caught by Barbara's warm embrace of her arms. She then rested his head in her lap, while he laid collapsed on the floor, leaning on her chair while she stroked his head speaking softly into his ear.

"Shhhh…" For a few minutes, this continued in silence, she calmly reassured him while still running her fingers through his hair. "It's alright. Everything's going to be alright." She then sensed the presence of someone else, but then looked up to see the faces of a distressed Kaldur and Roy. These were the two men who had found Dick, dragged his drunken form out of one of the many bars he'd been to, and brought him to her to help their friend finally let go of the past. With a new sense of determination, she concluded. "We'll heal together…"

September 29  
Arkham Asylum  
10:51pm

Lightning tore through the gloomy sky, as rain poured down over the soaked mass of protesters, who were still camped outside. These people were not just residents from Gotham, but Central City and other cities around the country. Although they were from different areas, they were all full of hatred towards the man who tried to nuke them, with some even trying to break IN to show the perpetrator how they truly felt. Most of the people, however, were content with just causing a small commotion. The ruckus could be heard within the super prison's most distant corridors and hallways, slowing fading as the noise crawled to the most distant part of the building, where a lone door was being guarded by two superheroes who were currently playing a game of chess: Miss Martian and Aqualad. The one responsible for all the mayhem now spoke up from the cell, and knocked on the glass.

"Knock, knock."

The two continued with their game and ignored him, which only annoyed him a bit. With a shrug of his shoulders, he looked back to his cell and smiled.

"Still not talking to me then? I don't know why you're all so serious, its not like I killed anyone... oh wait. I did!"

He then broke out into a maniacal fit of laughter, while the two continued to remain silent. Yet the Joker carried on.

"Come on it was a good joke! Just look outside, and you can see all of my adoring fans!"

But little did the mad killer know, the two heroes weren't even listening to him. They had been mind linked, and were currently inside the mental realm in the form of Mount Justice's old cave, in the living room playing chess. A tv screen behind them symbolised their outside world, showing the view from their eyes and the sound from the speakers of what they could hear. M'gann in her human form, moved a chess piece.

"I'm not comfortable with this Kaldur."

Still thinking on his and her next move, Kaldur replied.

"We all must do our duty, M'gann..."

He then moved his own piece.

"Even if we do not like it."

M'gann not really concentrating on the game, spoke back.

"No its not that. Its just...the madness radiating from him is like crashing waves. I don't like standing this close to him, even uncle john doesn't like getting to close him, and when he shared an experience with me of the time when he entered his mind…"

She then let out a shiver, allowing Kaldur to respond calmly in hopes of keeping her from altering the mental realm.

"It is to be expected. From what Martian Manhunter and Batman have explained, the Joker's mind has been altered by an accident that cannot be fixed by any telepathic method. What you are essentially sensing is pure chaos, something I would not like anyone to experience."

The heroine then moved her next piece, and a hint of sadness was detected in her eyes. She had thought about the moment in which she "broke" his mind, leaving him in a state of stasis.

"You only say that because of me..."

Kaldur eyed the board before him, and looked up at her. He knew what she was referring to.

"But I also haven't because of you, and you've taken great strides in that regard. You were the only one who could have saved me, were it not for your determination..."

He then moved one of his knights, knocking over M'gann's queen.

"Which is why you have lost. Checkmate."

He then revealed a small smile, knowing that M'gann would understand his sarcastic sense of humor. Yet, he had managed to keep her from concentrating on the game, meaning that she had lost. M'gann laughed, and with a wave of her hand, all of the pieces reset themselves onto the board.

Kaldur then let out an uncertain sigh of deep thought, and moved his first piece.

"Yet you are not the only one who has learnt from their most recent mistakes, I will never again keep secrets from my friends again, no matter what the cost is t...

M'gann interrupted him with a caring, yet serious tone to her voice.

"Kaldur, don't."

He then looked at her with an ashamed guilty look on his face, and accepted the comfort from his friend and nodded in agreement. Kaldur was about to move one of his pieces once more, when he spotted movement on the screen. M'gann also spotted this, making her eyes flash green, transporting them both back into their bodies in real time.

The Joker had been telling them the many stories he usually would tell his victims, but he was just finishing one of his favorites.

"...so that's how I got these scars!"

He looked back at them, and laughed hysterically. The door next to the two heroes then opened to show two guards walking down the corridor with a food tray.

"Oh! My waiter has arrived!"

The Joker then sat upright, and spoke with a theatrical grin.

"I think I fancy the lobster today, but if it's not too much trouble, I really need to get going…"

He knew that the guards were getting pissed off at their job and continued with his antics as they advanced on the door.

"What? No napkin at least? Bad form sir! No tip for you today…"

Aqualad then opened the slot in his door for food, and slid the plate in. As the two guards turned to leave, Joker recognized one of them, causing him to put his face against the glass.

"Oh! Is that you, Boles old boy? Now I'm thinking that instead of giving YOU the tip, I'll make sure to give one to your family when I get out!"

He then let out another one of his maniacal laughs. M'gann then sensed that Boles had had enough of the clown, and was flooded with devastating memories of his past. He had had many encounters with him since he first began working at the Asylum when he was a young man, and M'gann to take it all in. So many of his friends and loved ones were gone because of this heartless animal. The only reason he was still alive was probably because of the many encounters he's also had with: the Dark Knight. Boles did not fear the Joker, and if anything, he was furious at him. All he wanted more than anything in the world was to end it. Now. She then blinked, and saw that he had turned to reach for his pistol, aimed and fired a single bullet. With her superhuman speed, Miss Martian caught the bullet with her psychic blast, while Aqualad had already drawn water to form a shield around the Joker's door. With tears in her eyes, Miss Martian then crushed the gun, and levitated a yelling Boles out of the corridor. The Clown Prince then looked back to Kaldur as if nothing had happened, and stood up next to the cell's microphone.

"Thanks Fish Legs! You just can't seem to get good staff these days!"

Aqualad then walked over to the cell's door and spoke.

"You're right..."

He then placed his hand onto the door's microphone, sending a few bolts of electricity through it and into villain, temporarily knocking him out.

"...you can't."

September 29  
Central City  
8:13am

The brisk fall breeze whispered through the calm streets of the city, with little activity to report. No major villains, no threats to the city, just a couple of attempted muggings and a car chase. The latter of which the team was finishing up now on a closed off highway, with various parts from a disassembled car laid neatly in the middle of the road. A smug looking Kid Flash twirled a wrench with his speedy fingers, while Blue Beetle had the driver suspended off the ground with one arm waiting for the cops to arrive. Soon, they could hear the piercing sound of sirens, assuring the rest of the team to spread out amongst the city to patrol. The driver, still angry for being held up in the air, continued to yell at his captor.

"Get your stinking hands off of me, you over-sized blue alien tin can!"

Obviously no match for his strength, the man continued to struggle, with his legs flailing in the air. Blue then looked up at him with a confused and annoyed look on his face.

"Dude, I'm from Texas. Its ALL human under here."

The driver then replied with disgust.

"Really? Cause all I see is a traitor under there."

Surprisingly, the man then faced Kid Flash, and spoke.

"And you. Why are you working with this guy? He's the reason the Flash's dead!"

Jaime had had enough. He couldn't believe the ignorance of this guy, and struggled to keep the scarab from tightening his grip. This caught the young speedster's attention, as he zoomed in front of the man's face, and waved the wrench right in front of his nose.

"No. The real reason the Flash is dead is because a crazy clown decided to go nuclear on a city and my grand..."

Blue Beetle then cut him off nervously before Bart spilled any secret identity details to the police who had just arrived on the scene.

"Calm down, amigo."

He then looked at the approaching police officers, and turned to Bart.

"Let's just leave this guy to the cops and get out of here."

Blue Beetle then released the criminal, who the police immediately took away. To Jaime's surprise, however, Bart jokingly punched him in the shoulder and replied.

"Fine. Race you back to the tubes!"

He knew Jaime had to get back home for homework, so the two shot off into distance.

While the two were running and flying through the streets, the two talked. Jaime broke the ice first.

"You know, maybe it wasn't such a good idea for me to come back to the city that doesn't have a liking to the whole E.T. experience, and I get it. It's just so...different from the last time was here."

While zooming through the cityscape, he replied with a grin.

"Which is why we have to get them unmoded, and getting them crash with you!"

Still feeling the uncertainty from the entire city, Jaime responded with a heavy heart.

"I just feel responsible for what's happened…"

At that moment, Kid Flash stopped dead in his tracks so fast that it took Jaime a few seconds to realize what happened, and had to fly back to him, where he landed in middle of a dark alleyway, met by Bart. The young speedster appeared as if he was about to explode, and released his onslaught of words.

"I'm only going to say this once. It wasn't YOUR FAULT, OR NIGHTWING'S, OR ANYONES!

By now, he was yelling at the confused hero, who could only see what unfolded before him in shock.

"YOU KNOW WHO'S FAULT IT IS? YOU KNOW WHO YOU CAN REALLY BLAME?! ME! ITS MY FAULT MY GRANDFATHER IS DEAD! HE'S DEAD!

Bart's eyes could no longer contain the tears, and let them roll down his face.

"AND I CHOSE TO LET IT HAPPEN!"

Jaime replied with confusion, trying to console him.

"Bart, but you didn't…"

The young one then replied with more anger, causing his voice to break under all the stress he had exerted upon himself.

"I'M TELLING YOU JAIME! IT WAS MY FAULT, I KNEW HE'D…"

He then slowly paused to take a deep breath and finally confessed.

"When I traveled to the past, I thought I could get both, but the universe chose for me. I knew one or the other had to go…"

Tired of the cryptic and vague talk coming from Bart, he replied.

"What are you talking about?"

Just then, the Scarab on Jaime's back spoke.

"The Kid Flash is referring to the Law of Causality, Jaime Reyes."

Not doing much to help him understand the situation, Jaime looked to the Scarab.

"What?"

The Scarab, in return, responded.

"The Reach, though never possessing the ability to time travel, continued to create several theories concerning it, one being the Law of Causality.

Jaime continued, still not grasping what was happening.

"And that is?"

The Scarab then read the definition of it to Jaime's mind.

"The law states that if a time traveller ever created a machine in order to affect an event in the past, he could never use that machine to change it, out of a paradox caused by the event never happening, therefore, the time machine was never created to change it."

Still deeply confused, Jaime looked to Bart.

"What?"

The speedster was now ready to continue with his explanation.

"I helped create the time machine to not only stop the Reach, but the death of my grandfather too. But because one of those HAD to happen for me to want to help build the time machine, I had a decision to make."

Bart then closed his eyes in hopes to make the tears stop. He remembered little flashbacks of his previous life, one in which he had nothing. No family, no friends, no hope. Until the day he stepped into the time machine, his life had been oppressed by the frightening grip of the Reach. He then opened eyes and faced Jaime.

"That's why I chose to stop the Reach. They took away everything I had in the future I grew up in. I lived without even knowing my grandfather, and...and after all this, I still don't. Do you understand?"

Jaime, shocked by this realization, replied with wide eyes.

"Bart, I'm so sorry…"

Bart, having calmed down, masked his inner turmoil with confidence, and spoke.

"It's not your fault. It had to happen, and if it wouldn't have happened, it would have caused a paradox that would have ripped the universe apart."

By then it was clear to Jaime that Bart was not coping well, and reminded himself that he needed to talk with Black Canary about this.

"So in the grand scheme of things, we're good."

Tears continued to roll from the speedster's face, as he carefully spoke with a smile.

"Don't you ever let me hear you blame yourself, because its my fault. Not yours."

Shocked, as Jaime suddenly realized that it all made sense, walked up to his friend, and placed his arm around Bart's shoulder."

"Its my fault…"

Bart continued to mumble, as he let the run in full stream tears, while Jaime helped him towards the zeta tube. They both didn't care about the time it would take them to get there, but were just glad they both had someone to help them get there.

September 29  
Pentagon  
8:33am

Deep underground, behind steel-reinforced walls, a blockade of security guards, a myriad of surveillance cameras, and armoured plating coated the dimly lit room. Inside the room, the leaders of all the nations army, navy, air force, CIA, FBI, special forces, and a representative for the president had all gathered for this top secret and highly classified meeting. The man representing the President of the United States, Howard Fell, spoke first.

"Good evening gentlemen, we are gathered here to discuss the progress of Operation: Prometheus, but first…"

He then looked to the intel representative.

"How are we going with General Eling?"

The other representative replied, pushing his glasses up the ridge of his nose.

"So far, his physical state hasn't changed, since our extraction team tried to corner him in Egypt which made us to believe his change is...permanent. His last known location was just outside of Afghanistan, where we believe he will attack terrorist camps and bases within the Province to support our troops there."

He nervously finished, while a general murmur of approval swept through the room, but a look from the President's representative shut it down. There was no leeway for those that were high in rank, such as the general, to be disobeying orders and running an operation of such importance. Fell then turned his head to one of the men and spoke.

"Alright if that's all, we'll move onto Army. Status report."

The Army's general replied with a positive tone to his voice.

"Despite the temporary set-backs in development, production of the XTR is nonetheless progressing. We estimate a complete combat-ready battalion by the end of the year."

Fell simply dismissed this as another failure, and turned to another man.

"Navy?"

The commanding officer representing the Naval division then looked back at him, and turned to face his cupped hands.

"We've been monitoring the Atlantians as closely as we can to see if there is any technology we could reverse engineer by observation, but their territory is...too deep for even our nuclear subs to spy on them, and not to mention their advanced sonar technology detecting us."

Fell sighed, rubbed his eyes with his hand, and shook his head at the little progress that had been made. He then sipped his coffee, and spoke with boredom.

"Airforce."

The Airforce commanding officer looked to the Navy's, as if he had the exact same thing to say.

"We've had dozens of fighters fly over Greece on cargo or repair runs, but even our most advanced detection systems can't detect Themysciria itself, let alone any technology they may have."

Now angry at the status of each division, he slammed his fist into the desk, and looked around the room.

"We are the most powerful nation in the world! Our defense budget is second to none, and all we've got to show for nearly four months of constant surveillance and intelligence gathering of alien technology to defend is a suit of armor?"

With a venomous glare that glided over everyone he continued.

"Gentlemen, this is NOT acceptable! Do I make myself clear?!"

Suddenly, the Special Forces officer sat back in his chair and stared at the table.

"Sir, with all due respect, we are here to defend our country without question. But without risking an international incident or worse, this is the best we can do unless they give us their technology."

Fell took this in, and was about to reply, until he was cut short by a man who had been sitting in the shadows observing the preceding.

"Sir, each member of the Justice League's popularity has carried over into their respective nations when viewed by the public. The Atlantians and Amazons have never shown any signs of being a threat, so it would be frowned upon by the public if the United States were to be caught trying to steal their technology after watching their very own representatives save American lives almost every day."

He took a deep breath and continued.

"I know that the United States government isn't too comfortable with just trusting the Justice League to protect them when it's most convenient for them, and instead go off and defend their own countries first."

Everyone's attention was now fully toward this man, as he had brought out what no one had thought about before. But before any of them could question his allegations, he then concluded with an air of great confidence.

"No, what we need are American superheroes that would only look out for America's interest."

Suddenly, the room came to a quiet frenzy, until it was silenced by an interested Fell.

"And you are?"

The man in the seat sat up straight, and smiled.

"Sir, my name is Dabney Donovan and I represent CADMUS. I think we've been going about this the wrong way."

Donovan then stood up, and walked around the room, with everyone's eyes following him.

"Instead of trying to upgrade our entire military to defeat an alien insurgence, we should be trying to make what has defeated attacks like them in the past."

He then paused, and faced everyone.

"Gentlemen, I propose we create our own Justice League."

The room buzzed once again, this time with more serious inquiries arising, until the Army officer spoke up.

"You want to...add to their roster?"

The CADMUS representative then turned his back to them, and spoke.

"No. We make a team of our own heroes, but just from the United States to protect the United States."

He then faced Fell, as he continued with a care-free attitude.

"We've received reports that not all heroes in the U.S. are part of the League. Think about it, no foreign influence or outside loyalties. With our training and resources, they would be a formidable fighting force for the government."

The Naval officer then spoke up.

"But the real League won't like it…"

Donovan, who seemed like his proposition was already a reality, replied with a grin.

"Who says they have to know?"

After listening to Donovan, Fell spoke.

"They'll know."

He then paused, leaned back in his chair, listening to the idea in his mind, and liked what the possibilities could be.

"They will know, because we will tell them, and they won't have any reason to stop us. Keeping this in the dark would just give anyone who's opposed to it more of a reason to go against it if it were to ever get out. Foreign powers would see a cover up as an ill intent towards them. No. We declare it to the world, gain support with the public, maybe even reduce the amount of influence the real Justice League would have on us."

After looking around the room, most of the officers were in agreement, but there were some that felt uncomfortable with the idea. Fell stood up, meaning that the meeting was, yet motioned to Donovan.

"Get me a brief outlining of the potential we have with this to me by tomorrow for the president to read."

Donovan then replied with a nod.  
"Of course sir."

Just before Fell turned to leave, he looked back to Donovan and concluded.

"Call them...the Justice Society of America."

* * *

**Unfortunately this didn't come in in time for edits, so if you notice anything major, please let me know.**

**On a personal note, I'm very much stuck, so you can expect some random YJ pieces from me soon so I can get back in the mode. I've already got a little Artemis and Wally fluff started. **


	14. Cost

**Story by Darksuperboy**

**Written by queenwren**

* * *

Smallville Kansas  
May 30, 2063  
20:15 PDT

The sun slowly starts to set, casting long golden rays across the burnt ground and wide dead fields. The small town was once beautiful but now only serves as dead highway for the armored convoy making its way across the dying terrain. The group has been traveling for days moving slowly but thankfully it has been an uneventful trip so far. They have been able to make it from one resistance camp to the next, filling up on supplies and making camp for the night but now they were coming upon the longest stretch of their journey. Kansas was proving to be mostly farmland and not allowing for a safe place to stop and make camp outside of the vehicles.

After about their third night of sleeping cramped within the Marauder Wally was starting to get antsy. About an hour ago his legs had started violently twitching from his need to run. The only thing keeping him from phasing through the side of the vehicle was Megan, who was sending him mental images of a wide open fields with perfectly manicured grass in which he was running around. The vehicle suddenly lurches causing them to crash painfully out of the image.

"We'll be setting up camp here tonight," Michael's voice rings out over the radio. "I want all of the teams to secure a mile wide radius before we start setting anything up."  
The soldiers within the vehicle readied their guns before they fling open the door and fall out in formation. Wally throws himself out of the Marauder only to be met with the sight of burned out buildings, nothing more than shells of what they once were.

"Eventually you'll get use to it," Megan tells him as she comes up behind him

Devastation climbs out of Big Momma with the 50 caliber machine gun that is ever present in her hands and joins the two heroes. Shortly after her Michael dismounts Roadblock with his own M4 assault rifle and joins them.

"There haven't been reports of resistance from this area since the war started," Michael informs them as he stares off into the ruins alongside them. "We fear that they were all wiped out at the start of the war." Michael turns to Megan and asks, "Are you picking up any form of life around here?"

Megan's eyes glow a brilliant emerald before shaking her head. "There are a couple rodents running around in a far off building but that's all."

"Good," Michael nods before looking over at Wally. "I know you are dying to run so do a quick sweep and make sure there are no automated weapons or any other defenses hiding."

With a zealous smile Wally nods his head and disappears in a blur.

Making eye contact with Megan Michael opens his mind to her, "If my research was accurate than this is where…"

"Yes," She interrupts his thoughts, "It's about five miles on the other side of town."

"Ok but are you alright?"

She nods to him, she has passed through this place many times on her way to San Francisco and had grown use to it.

"Flash, have you found anything?" Michael asks over the radio.

In a blur Wally appears before him. "Nope, didn't find a thing except those rodents. They said hello," Wally tells Megan with a laugh.

Devastation rolls her eyes before asking, "Is there any place we can make camp or do we have to sleep in the tanks again?"

Wally grimaces at the thought. "Everything is nearly just debris, the town hall has a space to safely store the convoy but there is only one wall that is still fully erected. The rest are just piles of rubble."

"That's better than nothing," Michael sighs. "Let's get everyone over there." Pulling out his radio he starts giving out orders. "I need all vehicles to make their way to the town hall and everyone else needs to start searching for any supplies that we can use, over and out!"

With his orders the vehicles make their way to the building. About an hour later the full convoy was within the building. With the help of Megan and Wally they rearranged the rubble to form three new walls around them allowing them to create a room large enough for everyone to sleep comfortably. With some creative thinking between Megan and Wally they had formed a light roof over the camp with some old cornstalks they had found outside of town. As the rest of the soldiers came back with the few gallons of petrol they had found they started pulling out their weapons and supplies, finishing up the rest of the camp. After another half hour the first watch shift was in place and a couple of small fires were lit. Everyone, including a cautious Megan, was huddling around the fires.

"Sir," one of the soldiers addresses Wally, "Is it true that you knew the entire Justice League personally?"

Wally smiles at the soldier, happy to have them talking to him. Until now he hadn't spent any continuous time with the same soldiers. Any time spent with them consisted with him only saying 'yes or no sir.' "I wouldn't say that I knew all of them but I did know most of them fairly well." Wally turns to look at the man, "Will you guys please stop calling me sir! It makes me feel old, which I'm not."

Megan laughs, "Technically you're about 70 years old."

"You're not helping," Wally frowns at her.

"Is it true that Superman could melt things just by looking at them," another solider asking excitedly, "or that the previous Flash had a sidekick named Speedy?"

Wally and Megan burst into laughter, something the soldiers rarely heard. "Superman could do that but Speedy was Green Arrow's sidekick and Kid Flash was Flash's sidekick."

"Told you I was right," the first soldier says with a grin.

"Why didn't you tell them any of this?" Wally asks Megan with disappointment. "Roy would be mad at you for not making sure they knew."

"I really don't get that much time with them," she tells him, frowning down at her hands.

"It's not like we see many heroes," the second soldier tells him. "I think most of us have only seen you four."

"Who all is left?" Wally turns and asks Megan, fear tightening around his chest.  
Still staring down at her hands she tells him, "Not many, most died in the invasion. The war has been going on so long that if they hadn't died in battle then they have died of old age. If we're lucky they pass their mantles down to another."

Wally takes a deep breath, "Like Batman?"

"That would be Bruce's son Damian Wayne."

"No way!" Wally says with wide eyes. "Who is his mom?"

Ignoring his question Megan continues, "As I said there are not many, as far as I know there are only Captain Marvel, Red Tornado and Icon."

"Lucky number 7," Wally sighs to himself. He figured the list would be larger but it made sense; Billy was only a kid when he left, Red would never age since he is a robot and Icon was an alien so who knew how long he would live. However that still left out a couple of immortals. "What about Wonder Woman or Captain Atom?"

Everyone was quiet till a soldier speaks up, "According to legend she fought her way through the entire Apocoliptian army and right up to Darsied but then she was never seen again."

"Captain Atom?"

"Made his last stand defending Cheyenne Mountain," the first soldier tells him. "It's said that everything within a hundred mile radius was burned by the very fires of hell when he died."

Wally nods thinking of what would happen when a man with the power of 10 nuclear bombs would die and hell on earth sounded about right.

"Only those I said are still alive," Megan tells him. "It's true some like Wonder Woman are missing in action but we fear they have all died. However there are those like Michael that have taken their place."

"What about the bad guys?" Wally asks. "Who is left and are they now heroes like Devastation?"

"Metallo, Parasite and the Brain," Devastation tells him from her post. "Though they would all laugh at you if you called them heroes."

A loud howling noise cuts through the night causing the soldiers to raise their weapons.

"What the heck is that?" Wally asks as more howls fill the air, sounding like demons.

"Hell hounds," Megan tells him as her eyes light up and she rises up into the air.

Smallville Kansas

May 30, 2063

"Where were they hiding?" Wally demands. "I did a 10 mile search and found nothing!"

"They can smell blood from a much further distance," Devastation tells him, shifting her weight on top of the Marauder's roof, the machine gun aimed and ready. "They can cover a hell of a lot of distance in no time. Which way are they coming?"

Megan's eyes glow a brilliant green as she searches for the beast. "Your direction Devastation but their minds are overflowing with rage and hunger that I can't tell if they were sent here or just wild."

"You heard her, everyone focus your weapons to the west!" Michael calls out as everyone turns towards the west wall.

"I see them about two miles out," Devastation calls out. "There are six and they're coming fast."

Michael throws up giant blue globes of lights lighting up the area outside of their camp. Within seconds the hell hounds appear, all 900 pounds of creature stuffed in alien armor growling and snarling. At the front of the pack stands the largest of the hounds with a long jagged scar running down its back and drool dripping from its maw. On either side of the alpha was a smaller beast snapping their jaws and growling. The three other beasts brought up the rear, knocking over what is left of buildings and causing dust to swirl around their feet. The alpha lifts up his nose and sniffs the air, catching scent of the group. With a deep guttural growl the hounds charge the camp. With a battle cry from Devastation the air opens with gunfire.

As the street fill with bullets the alpha falls back, letting the two smaller beasts to charge forward and take the hits. While most of the lesser guns only scrape the hound's armor the machine guns manage to shred any exposed flesh making them fall back. The gun on top of Big Momma manages to rip into the armor of one of the beasts ripping open its shoulder causing it to crumble to the ground, allowing them to quickly reload and finish off the hound. From Roadblock they were able to sink a blast into the creature's helmet permanently taking out the hell hound. Two other hell hounds fell into their fallen partners place, charging at the rubble barricade. The soldiers focused all of their attention on the charging beast, desperately trying to break through their armor. With all of their concentration on the two hounds attacking the west wall that they missed the alpha and another hound moving around the outskirts of the town and bursting through the east wall. Rubble sprayed around the room, hitting people and knocking guns out of hands, as the hounds roared deafening everyone. Soldiers quickly opened fire coating the hounds with bullets, doing little damage except for ripping apart their muzzles.

"Focus your fire outside!" Michael ordered the men, "We will take care of these two." With his own battle cry he charged the alpha wielding a bright blue sword.

Megan and Wally survey the hound, quickly linking up and figuring out a course of action.

"I can grab a gun and shoot from underneath," Wally said over the link, unsure what he could do with his bare hands.

"I'll distract him," she tells him as she starts hurling rubble at the creature, as Wally rushed back and forth under the beast firing rounds at the exposed belly.  
At the west wall the soldiers had managed to take out one of the hounds and were slowly working on the last one but it was managing to tear down the wall. With a growl that caused the ground to shake the hound tore a chuck out of the wall causing the entire wall to fall and allowing the snarling beast to charge directly into the line of men. Devastation leaps up, emptying the last of her bullets into the exposed parts of the hounds face before jumping on top of it. The hound took a swipe at the men, sending a wave of them to go flying back into the vehicles. With a snap of its massive jaws, it snapped up one of the soldiers finishing the man's life within seconds.

Across the room Michael was desperately trying to finish off the alpha, shooting rounds from a blue grenade launcher. He had managed to rip off parts of the hound's armor but it managed to fight back throwing rocks and debris everywhere causing damage to anything and everything surrounding it, even managing to overturn the Marauder. Growing impatient the hound dips head and charges forward hitting Michael and throwing him back into Big Momma. The shield he had put around him barely took the impact, causing his ring to start beeping a warning of its low power. The world around him was spinning as Michael tries to sit up but before he could focus the alpha has snatched him up. Michael quickly forms a car jack keeping the hound's jaw from snapping down on him. Forming a small rocket launcher Michael weakly shots out one rocket, before rolling out of the hound's mouth and dropping to the ground.

"I'm not dying today," Michael spat out, watching the hound shutter as the rocket exploded within it and causing it to fall dead. The beeping has now stopped warning him that while he had survived his ring had not. He pulls himself up knowing the fight isn't over yet and grabs a weapon, rushing over to help his comrades.

Wally was successfully running under another hell hound, shooting any exposed flesh.  
Getting a little confident Wally stopped and stood his ground, trying to riddle the hound with as much bullets as he could manage. At the same time the hound started backing up, trying to escape the pain and kicked Wally right in his back. Wally fell forward hitting his head and instantly losing consciousness. Megan's chest tightens instantly at the sight of her fallen friend and before she can stop it she snaps. Her eyes blaze with fury as she forces herself into the creature's mind and paralyzes it. Flinging out one of her hands she picks up Marauder and slams it into the hound. She keeps the hound pinned as she hits the creature a couple more times until it is defeated. With the last of her strength drained her eyes roll into the back of her head and she drops out of the air.

"Megan!" Michael screams as he runs over catching her and slowly lowering to the ground.

"Shoot this thing now!" Devastation screams at the men. She is still latched on to its back, desperately stabbing a knife into the armor over and over. One of the men manages to grab a rocket launcher and aims it at the hound, with a lucky shot they manage to shot it right into its mouth, ending the battle in a bloody mess.

Michael is leaning over the unconscious Megan, checking her vital signs. Letting out a sigh he leans back happy that her breathing and heart rate where fine. Getting up he moves over to Wally shouting out orders, "Secure the perimeter and make sure these things are dead! I want a damage report, causality report and a count of the supplies." He leans down and checks Wally's vitals, heart rate fast but it was all normal for the speedster. "I want all the injured gathered up near Roadblock."

Devastation limps over to Megan and picks her up taking her to rest with the other injured. "How well did we fair?" she ask Michael as he brings Wally over.

"Not well," he tells her, he looks over at the solider jogging up to him. "Report."

"We lost Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington," he tells Michael taking a deep breath. "Also Bronxe has a broken leg but that seems to be the worse of the injuries. Roadblock and Big Momma seem just fine but we can't get into Marauder and we can't tell if anyone is in there."

"Devastation help open up Marauder and get it back on its wheels." Turning to the soldier,

"I need you to organize a burial and once we have the vehicles ready to go we're leaving."

Michael watches as the two move away from him, trying to complete their task as quickly as they could manage. Looking around him, he takes in the complete carnage around him; the dead hounds, the injured soldiers and the unconscious heroes. As he looks down at his hand, his chest tightens at the sight of his depowered ring.


End file.
